SÃO PAULO ON THE EVE OF THE 20TH CENTURY

THE WORKING CLASS AS SUBVERTER OF THE ‘SPATIAL ORDER’

Abstract

This article aims to discuss how the city of São Paulo underwent in a segregation spatial process at the beginning of the 20th century, that pushed into suburb areas the poorest classes, and understand how the working class, organized in the anarchist orientated syndicalism challenged this spatial process. To achieve this aim, we will discuss the strikes and the public demonstrations as questioning and disruption instruments, in order to enable a more democratic space. Particularly, two workers demonstrations will be analyzed, regarding to what we call a spatial worker appropriation: the demonstrations against dearth of 1913 and the general strike of 1917. By analyzing these past actions of the worker movement, we aim a better understanding on the libertarian practices, enabling another conception of social action, more autonomous, horizontally organized and, because of this, extremely radical.