Recreational associations and identity formation:

constitutive elements of a factory culture

Abstract

An analysis of industrial workers' daily life in Santo Aleixo (Magé, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil) reveals a complex process of building and consolidating identities which was triggered by the interweaving of social networks radiating from the centrality of factory work. This process has been complexified by other forms of solidarity forged in recreational associations which, even when built on employer's investment, do not represent areas of passive reception of their ideological values. On the contrary, they host cultural events that reflect the tensions and negotiations inherent to relationships intra and extra-groups or classes. The historical documentation produced by the protagonists of History (oral statements and association meeting minutes), in dialogue with the rich bibliography on the subject, support and substantiate the ideas and concepts presented in this paper.

Keywords: work, identities, associationism.