“Ouro macio” na pré-Corrida do Ouro: peles de lontra marinha na “expansão competitiva” do capitalismo mercantil e na criação de uma economia no Oceano Pacífico
No. 89 (2023-07-04)Autor(es)
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Arturo GiráldezUniversity of the Pacific, United States
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Analiese RichardUniversidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Cuajimalpa, Mexico
Resumo
Objetivo/contexto: neste artigo, examinamos como a demanda chinesa por peles — de lontras e outros mamíferos marinhos — impulsionou a expansão competitiva de comerciantes e exploradores europeus e, posteriormente, estadunidenses nas ilhas do Pacífico e ao longo do litoral pacífico da América do Norte no século 18. As peles de lontra marinha eram uma mercadoria diretamente ligada à criação de uma economia no Oceano Pacífico, e a colonização da Califórnia resultou da dinâmica imperial a que esse comércio deu origem. Metodologia: usando fontes primárias e secundárias, examinamos como a ânsia desses comerciantes em abastecer o lucrativo mercado de luxo chinês com peles — ou “ouro macio” — os colocou em contato com os povos indígenas, cujos meios de subsistência e redes de comércio também seriam recrutados para esse mercado global, mas em termos bastante desiguais e com consequências devastadoras. Originalidade: o crescimento desse comércio no Pacífico ao longo do século 18 alimentou rivalidades geopolíticas que desencadearam a colonização da Califórnia com um sistema de missões e guarnições militares e, por fim, uma nova ecologia, produto de plantas e animais trazidos da Nova Espanha antes da Corrida do Ouro e do Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo. Muitos, inclusive Marx e Engels, afirmaram que a Corrida do Ouro contribuiu significativamente para a dinâmica do capitalismo industrial; no entanto, argumentamos que suas condições de possibilidade foram estabelecidas séculos antes, por meio das complexas conexões geopolíticas e ecológicas pelas quais essa economia do Pacífico foi articulada. Conclusões: durante o século 18, os produtos do Pacífico foram extraídos e comercializados em circuitos centrados na demanda chinesa. É justamente a existência prévia desses mercados globais — centrados na prata e no “ouro macio” ou peles de lontra marinha — que explica a presença de europeus e estadunidenses na Califórnia, ávidos pelo metal dourado em 1848.
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