The sum of lights in the construction of public happiness and the reflection about Portuguese past : politics and history in the IHGB journal (1838-1889) / A soma de luzes na construção da felicidade publica e a reflexão sobre o passado portugues : politica e historia na Revista do IHGB (1838-1889)

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2010

RESUMO

In the creation of the Brazilian Institute of History and Geography (IHGB) in 1838 with the aim of constructing the national history, a project was implicated for the establishment of originality for the newly independent nation that would legitimize Brazil as a singular country. Understanding that members of IHGB were in general also active participants in the policy of Imperial Brazil, this papers main objective is to consider what was produced by those members of IHGB has marks of reference and ideas from that area of politics in the period between 1838 to 1889. Thus, it explores how changes of interpretation in themes of the past - especially Portuguese colonization - could be present as alterations in the political circumstances occur (the unity and rightfulness of the nation and its territory, the affirmation of the authority of Pedro II, the "Conciliation" politics, the wars in Prata River area, slavery and the downfall of the Empire); or according to the individual who enunciate certain speech or defended his own particular interpretation of history. In this sense, the paper shows that at the same time IHGB engendered an intellectual work, in which there was room for questioning the adequacy of the writing of history, and different interpretations about the Empire were also conditioned. Giving preference to the reading of the Journal of IHGB, some memoirs made by the members, documents relating to the history of Brazil collected by them, and extracts from the minutes of the meetings held periodically were selected for the study. This material provides a glimpse of how members interpreted the history of Brazil, specifically giving the Portuguese past different images and different considerations: sometimes as a figure of valued participation, zealous protector of the territory; sometimes as a representative of a poorly organized colonization, bequeathing to independent Brazil several problems. These discrepancies were related to political issues of the Empire, as the search for legitimacy at the border of neighboring republics or the debates about the emancipation of slaves

ASSUNTO(S)

politica politics memory brazil brazil memória

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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