Between Agency and Exploitation:

Historiographical Reflections on Children and Adolescents in the Worlds of Adult Labor in Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5935/2177-6644.20260017

Abstract

The article analyzes the historiography of childhood and youth focused on children and adolescents in the world of adult labor in Brazil. Guided by the social history of labor and the sociology of childhood, it discusses the transition from the view of children as passive subjects to historical subjects (“child actors”). Through a literature review, it examines class dynamics and children's agency in relation to capital, aiming to deconstruct adult-centric perspectives in the historical study of the early exploitation of children and adolescents in the adult world of work.

Author Biography

  • Anderson Silva, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco

    PhD candidate in History at the Graduate Program in History at UFRPE (CAPES scholarship recipient) and Master's degree in Education from the Graduate Program in Education, Cultures, and Identities (UFRPE/Fundaj - 2021). Coordinates the State Working Group on the History of Childhood and Youth at ANPUH-PE, National Secretary of the Working Group on the History of Childhood and Youth at ANPUH-BR, and is part of the Pernambuco School of Councils extension project. He participates in the research groups Laboratório de História das Infâncias (LAHIN) and Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas em História, Educação e Culturas (NEPHECs). He develops research focused on the areas of History and Education, with an emphasis on the History of Childhood and Youth and the History of Education, addressing topics such as children and adolescents in the adult world of work, labor legislation for children and adolescents, work-oriented educational practices, Human Rights, Children's and Adolescents' Rights, and Professional Training for Teachers.

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Published

2026-06-26

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 1 (2026): História das infâncias e juventudes na América Latina: experiências, discursos e políticas sociais

Section

Dossiê | Special Issue | Dossier

License

Copyright (c) 2026 TEL Tempo, Espaço e Linguagem

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How to Cite

Between Agency and Exploitation:: Historiographical Reflections on Children and Adolescents in the Worlds of Adult Labor in Brazil. (2026). TEL Tempo, Espaço E Linguagem, 17(1), 518-546. https://doi.org/10.5935/2177-6644.20260017