I MASCARENHAS E LA MODERNIZZAZIONE INDUSTRIALE DEL MINAS GERAIS (1868-1930)

This study aims to reconstruct the origins and evolution of the textile company towns in Minas Gerais (Brazil), from 1850 to 1930, through an analysis of the history of the family cotton groups Mascarenhas. This group was a pioneer in the modernization of the sector through technological innovation and use of hydropower energy in the textile industry. The establishments and textile settlements of groups Mascarenhas arose in a peculiar environmental, socio-economic, geo-political and cultural context: that of Minas Gerais. During this process, the mascarenhistics industrial landscapes multiplied and spread in different locations with a progressive development based on imported technology and "know-how". This element is the major aim of our research and it concerns in particular the extent by which technicians and workers from abroad helped to shape types, fonts, and evolutionary processes of the industrial and urban landscape of the industrial towns in Minas Gerais. Our analyses are meant to stand as a new approach for the detection and study of various urban industrial growth phenomena in Minas Gerais and provide contributions to further research in applied history to projects aimed to safeguard the industrial heritage, allowing for a connection between historical knowledge and recovery projects.