The historical construction of the term caboclo: on social structure and representations in rural Amazonia

Abstract

The paper presents an analysis of the different uses of the word caboclo, distinguishing between the complexity of the popular use and the objectivity found in the academic use. The representation of this social category, along with the history of the term, provide a portrait of Amazonia’s own history, with its class structure and the social evaluation of its components. Being essentialIy a term of identification, and only rarely an identity, the name caboclo is part of the construction of social relations, as it classifies people and defines their position in the social hierarchy. Based on such complexity, the paper criticises the objectivity intended by the academic use.