THE MOBILE AGITATORS: ANARCHIST TRAJECTORIES AND THE PORT SURVEILLANCE IN THE SOUTH AMERICAN ATLANTIC, 1894-1908

Abstract The goal of this article is to study the patterns of the surveillance of anarchism in the South American Atlantic space between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Although the history of the repression of anarchism is not unknown to the historiography of the region, our work moves away from classical approaches, guided by questions of the place of anarchism in the labor movement within national borders. Focusing on the trajectory of two immigrants who circulated between Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Rio de Janeiro, we seek to show a dynamic framework of Atlantic connections, including diplomatic exchanges, police cooperation and surveillance of ships entering the ports. In response to this situation, the anarchists strategically used legal resources (habeas corpus, petitions to the authorities) and illegal methods (disembarking in secret) which not only allowed them to survive the repressive onslaught but also expand transnational networks of activist solidarity.