THE WATCHES OF MUSTAPHA: Snippet of a migrant biography in the town and what Anthropology and Mustapha have to say about time

Abstract

This article aims to discuss how the category of Time was reflected by some theoretical perspectives in the history of Anthropology. For this, I conduct a reflection about Time, coming from biographical fragments concerning the migratory experience of the Senegalese Mustapha with Brazil. A skilled street vendor, Mustapha became notable for his vast knowledge of wristwatches, which he sold on the streets of Caxias do Sul, RS, a locality that for some time was recognized by Senegalese migrants as a “capital of Senegal in Brazil”. From an ethnographic point of view, I analyze the dynamics of work “on the street”, demonstrate how Mustapha related the materiality of watches and then discuss the importance of appearance of mechanical watches in modernity. At the end of the article, I discuss how Anthropology and Mustapha understand and relate themselves with time.