Sailing through converging waters: a history of Companhia Hidrelétrica do São Francisco (CHESF – Brazil) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA – United States) (1930–1950)

Abstract

This article analyzes some aspects of the relationship between two large public companies that generate electricity: the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in the United States and the São Francisco Hydroelectric Company (CHESF) in Brazil, from 1930 to 1970. I investigate how discourses on energy production and modernization justified the high state investments in the sector worldwide, inspired by a “US model”. Both TVA and CHESF implemented urban structures in the company town style, significantly transforming the living conditions of workers, imposing strict forms of discipline and social control, and provoking processes of expropriation of families in areas affected by their projects. The research is based on official TVA reports, testimonies of workers, and specialized bibliography produced in both countries. Thus, it aims to understand whether the implementation of these projects promoted sociocultural and economic transformations, translating convergences in the experiences of workers subjected to processes of modernization and progress.