Abstract
The article reopens the debate about the "paradigm of absence" in the historiography of the worlds of labor. Historians who have studied the poor workers and the labor movement have rarely dialogued with experts in slavery studies. Even when investigating the XX century they scarcely include black people - women, children, men - in their studies. Experts in slavery and in the post-abolition period were those who advanced more towards a debate and contributed to the visibility of these historical actors. The article also points out the problems brought by this absence and suggests some methodological paths for change.
Keywords:
historiography; worlds of labor; colour; XX century