In the latter half of the 20th century, there is documentation of a labour influx from China to Africa and America via the port of Macao. The simultaneity of labour migration and the complex evolution of the concept of free labour motivates this study, the aim of which is to demonstrate these labourers as a foundational layer of other implications associated with work conditions, incorporating commercial, cultural, and legal dimensions. It is imperative to acknowledge that, in this particular instance, there is no intention on the part of the author or any of the individuals mentioned to engage in discourse of a disrespectful nature at any level. The subjects under discussion are referred to as "coolies" in both literature and archival records; however, in this paper this historical designation has been modestly employed to denote Asian workers mobilised for labour in colonial possessions. The initial deployment of unskilled labour force through the Port of Macao was initially directed towards plantation work; however, due to labour shortages, this practice extended to a diverse range of non-agricultural occupations, including public works projects. Moreover, as the slave trade was being phased out, and a demand for commodities continued to prevail, it became imperative to establish a method for the financial sustenance of the abolitionist movement. Irrespective of the nuances of this free labour, which bore a striking resemblance to enslaved work, apprenticeships and indentured labour emerged as prominent forms of employment, both enabling and requiring this migration. The proposal explores the legal framework governing this particular migration, and the manner in which, within the context of global labour migration, the Port of Macao, which was under Portuguese administration at the time, functioned as a conflict area for Chinese labour migration.

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia - FCT Todos os Domínios Científicos 2023 - Projetos Exploratorios - Portugal

Public works,migration,“Kuli”,labourer