In Brazil and the United States: minority as a non-place

Abstract

The paper examines two historical events that preceded and followed the "minorism" in two different geographical spaces and historical periods. The narrative analyzes the policy implemented between the 19th and 20th centuries in the United States, known as "orphan trains," and the "Operação Camanducaia" carried out in Brazil in the mid-1970s. We call minority the transnational movement that emerged in the United States of America and created juvenile courts that began to take responsibility for the protection of minors, separating them from their families through a process of institutionalization. The research, based on documentary and bibliographic sources, draws a parallel between how these two divergent realities attempted to address a problem caused by the prohibition of child labor. The removal of children from the factory floor contributed to their becoming a nuisance in the centers of large cities. As a partial result, the investigation concludes that both movements are directly related to the implementation of minorism and its failure as an exclusionary and hygienist policy, as well as to the lack of a sense of belonging for this social group due to their no longer being needed as a workforce.