“Tá achando que nós é escravo? Tô fora!”: classificação, autonomia e trabalho plataformizado no Brasil

Drawing on recurring mentions of slavery in the discourses of app drivers and delivery couriers, this article discusses perceptions of work regimes in contemporary Brazil. From colonial slavery to neoliberalism, the exploitation of labor and capitalist accumulation have relied on mechanisms of social and racial classification. Analyzing platform work within this framework suggests that references to slavery not only point to long hours, low wages, and a lack of guarantees, but also to mechanisms and performances of classification and hierarchy; surveillance and criminalization of subaltern groups; and the valorization of activities perceived as autonomous.