Economia colonial brasileira: classificação das ocupações segundo ramos e setores

Abstract

The subject of the article is the definition of a classification for the economic occupations present in colonial Brazil. For this purpose, the term "colonial economy" stands for the economic structure of the period comprising the colonial era and the decades that followed the political landmark of the nation's independence. Colin Clark's classical division into primary, secondary and tertiary sectors does not suit the study of our past, since it tends to lessen the differences between the various Brazilian "economies", thereby hindering the analysis of their evolution. The work presents a division into socioprofessional categories, which is formed by three increasing levels of data aggregation, viz. occupation or activity; branch of activity; economic sector. Fourteen sectors are defined, which are further divided into branches and occupations. It is used a five-digit codification, which lends itself to computer analysis.