Futebol, raça e classes populares: a participação dos negros no futebol em São Luís na Primeira República (1907-1925)

Abstract

This research investigated the participation of Black individuals in soccer in São Luís, the capital of Maranhão, during the early phase of the sport in the city. The objective was to understand the motivations that facilitated the inclusion of this segment of the population in the practice of soccer, both in elite clubs and suburban clubs. To achieve this, we sought to observe the different spaces occupied by these historical subjects and the cultural and social conditions that enabled their participation in the development and consumption of the sport, whether in the streets or in the official fields and clubs of the local elite. This analysis required a historical approach, particularly from the perspective of Social History, which focuses on social relations, while also being informed by Global History, emphasizing the interrelationship between the global and the local. This led us to incorporate the notion of “glocalization” into our analyses. In this sense, it was essential to broaden the research issues, especially regarding ethnic-racial relations. To meet our objectives, we utilized periodicals that circulated in the city and discussed the daily life of soccer, along with photographs and maps as supplementary sources for understanding this process. We conclude that the Black population had contact with soccer from its beginnings in the city, although their participation was initially restricted to military institutions. Starting in the 1910s and 1920s, a decisive presence of this population began to emerge, marked by the creation of various suburban and workers' clubs. This new dynamic allowed for the inclusion of these historical subjects in elite clubs, driven by the phenomenon of professionalism, which faced resistance from some members of the local elite, as it challenged their exclusivist ideals.