A HUT ATTACHED TO A JAIL: Sociability between antagonistic social figures

Abstract

Through a life story history interview, this article recovers details of the form of
sociability, and the meanings attributed to everyday life, in the historical context of the
1960s to 1980s. Lourdes is a woman who, in 1964, after marrying a military policeman,
went to live with him in a hut attached to a wooden jail. Lourdes talks about the
establishment of a friendly relationship with prisoners, with whom she shared the kitchen
of the hut, where some of them were in charge of preparing meals for the entire
incarcerated group. In addition, Lourdes coexisted with prostitutes that, when arrested,
were under her care. The article discusses the social transformations during the process
of modernization, emphasazing the policy of space administration and possibilities of
interpersonal arrangements throughout the dictatorial period, responsible for repressing
meetings and various forms of interpersonal association.

Keywords: Oral history. Sociability. Capitalist modernization. Miltary dictatorship.