universidade federal do rio grande do sul instituto de filosofia e ...

7ABSTRACTThis study, centered on the power relations established betweendomestic workers and their employers, is based on ethnographic fieldworkcarried out in the state of Espirito Santo between 1996 and 1998. Adoptingand analytic approach based on the work of Shellee Colen and James Scott,we investigate these relations in terms of a system of stratified reproduction,taking into consideration political inequality and exploitation as well as thefunctional aspects which work in the interests of both partners of this relation.Trough participant observation in the employers’ as well the maids’ homes, wegained access to the hidden transcripts of each group, leading us to raisehypotheses on the particular mix of affection, inequality, and rebellion whichunderwrites class relations in Brazil.Key words: Domestic service - Subaltern studies - Class relations - Brazil