The thickness of time: the writing of history and appropriation of the past in Brazil, 1830-1930

HTML
Published: Jan 30, 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/historein.8782
Keywords:
Brazilian history historiography experience of time
Helena Mollo
Federal University of Ouro Preto
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4607-9426
Rodrigo Turin
Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2385-9961
Fernando Nicolazzi
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8789-0373
Abstract
The recent Brazilian history of historiography perceives the period from 1830 to 1930 as a decisive one for the development of Brazilian historiography, be it for the definition of the disciplinary protocols that frame the historian’s work or for the emergence of problems concerning the disputes over and elaboration of a national identity. The importance of this century has already been established in works on the role of national institutions, such as the Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute (IHGB) and the National Museum, and in works on the discursive dimensions of historiographical practice. Thus, a new way to consider the experience of time has been proposed, resulting in a thoughtful understanding of the history of historiography and its field. Therefore, this article aims to offer an overview of the different modulations of temporal experience that appear in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Brazilian historiography, presenting some of the topoi that have organised and shaped it.
Article Details
  • Section
  • ARTICLES
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

The copyright for articles in this journal is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal. By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles are free to use (with the exception of the non-granted right to make derivative works) with proper attribution for non-commercial uses (licence Creative Commons 4.0). EKT/NHRF retains the worldwide right to reproduce, display, distribute, and use articles published in Historein in all formats and media, either separately or as part of collective works for the full term of copyright. This includes but is not limited to the right to publish articles in an issue of the Journal, copy and distribute individual reprints of the articles, authorize reproduction of articles in their entirety in another EKT/NHRF publication, and authorize reproduction and distribution of articles or abstracts thereof by means of computerized retrieval systems.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Author Biographies
Helena Mollo, Federal University of Ouro Preto
Helena Mollo is an associate professor of theory of history and historiography at the Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto. She is the author of several articles on historiography, among them “Olhar o pasasdo onde ele (não) está: Araujo Porto-Alegre e a história do Brasil  a partir de Portugal” [Looking at the past where it is (not): Araujo Porto-Alegre and the history of Brazil as seen from Portugal], História da Historiografia (Mariana) 12 (2013): 213–227. Another area of interest is the history of science in Brazil, specially in the nineteenth century.
Rodrigo Turin, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Rodrigo Turin is an adjunct professor at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO). He conducted his postdoctoral research at the University of São Paulo in 2010, and was part of the “Ancient and Modern: dialogues on the writing of history?” research group, led by Francisco Murari Pires. His interests lie in history, history of historiography, history of history, intellectual history and history of anthropology. He is the author of several articles, among them “As (des)classificações do tempo: linguagens teóricas, historiografia e normatividade” [The (de) classifications of time: theoretical languages, historiography and normativity], Topoi 17 (2016): 586-601.

Fernando Nicolazzi, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)

Fernando Nicolazzi is an associate professor of theory of history and historiography at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul/UFRGS and researcher at the CNPq (National Research Council). He is the author of Um estilo de história. A viagem, a memória, o ensaio: sobre Casa-grande e senzala e a representação do passado [A style of history: the journey, the memory, the essay; on masters and slaves’ quarters and the representation of past] (Ed. Unesp, 2011) and of several articles about Brazilian historiography, French early modern historiography, the reading of history and the public uses of history.

References
Abreu, Capistrano de. “Necrológio de Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen, Visconde de Porto Seguro” [Necrology of Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen, Viscount of Porto Seguro]. In Ensaios e estudos [Essays and studies], 1st ser. Rio de Janeiro: Civilização Brasileira/INL, 1975.
Abreu, Capistrano de. “Necrologio de Francisco Adolpho de Varnhagen” [Obituary of Francisco Adolpho de Varnhagen]. In Ensaios e estudos (critica e historia) [Essays and studies (Criticism and history)], 1st ser., edited by the Sociedade Capistrano de Abreu. Rio de Janeiro: Livraria Briguiet, 1931.
Athayde, Tristão de. “Política e Letras” [Politics and letters]. In À margem da historia da republica (Ideaes, crenças e affirmações). Inquerito por escriptores da geração nascida com a republica [On the sidelines of the republic (ideals, beliefs and affirmations). Inquiry by writers from the generation born with the republic], edited by Vicente Licinio Cardoso. Rio de Janeiro: Laemmert, 1924.
Blanckaert, Claude. La Nature de la societé: Organicisme et sciences sociales au XIX siècle [The nature of society: Organicism and social sciences in the nineteenth century]. Paris: L’Harmattan, 2005.
Bomfim, Manoel. A América Latina: Males de origem [Latin America: Evils of origin]. Rio de Janeiro: Livreiro-Editor; Paris: H. Garnier, 1905.
Cezar, Temístocles. “Varnhagen entre os antigos, os modernos e os ‘selvagens’: Estudo introdutório de ‘A origem turaniana dos tupis e dos antigos egípcios’” [Varnhagen among the ancients, the moderns and the “savages”: Introductory study of “The Turanian origin of the Tupi and the ancient Egyptians”]. In Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen, edited by Lúcia Maria Paschoal de Guimarães and Raquel Glezer, 317-45. Rio de Janeiro: Fundação Miguel de Cervantes, 2013.
Cunha, Euclides da. Os sertões [Backlands]. São Paulo: Brasiliense, 1985.
Cunha, Euclides da. Um paraíso perdido: Reunião de ensaios amazônicos. [A lost paradise: Collection of Amazonian essays]. Brasília: Senado Federal, 2000.
Dalen-Oskam, Karen van, and Joris van Zundert. “Delta for Middle Dutch – Author and Copyist Distinction in Walewein.” Literary and Linguistic Computing 22/3 (2007): 345-62.
Fabian, Johannes. Time and the other: how anthropology makes its object. New York: Columbia University Press, 1983.
Ferreira, Lúcio Menezes. “Vestígios de civilização: A arqueologia no Brasil Imperial (1838-1870)” [Vestiges of civilisation: archaeology in imperial Brazil (1838-1870)]. Master’s thesis, Unicamp, 2007.
Foucault, Michel. Naissance de la biopolitique [The birth of biopotitics]. Paris: Seuil, 2004.
Holanda, Sérgio Buarque de. Visão do paraíso: Os motivos edênicos no descobrimento e na colonização do Brasil [Sight of Paradise: The edenic motifs in the discovery and colonisation of Brazil]. São Paulo: Companhia Editora Nacional, 1969.
Hollander, Jaap den, Herman Paul and Rik Peters. “Introduction: the metaphor of historical distance”. History and Theory 50/4 (2011): 1-10.
Koselleck, Reinhart. “Acortamiento del tiempo y aceleración. Un studio sobre la secularización” [Shortening of time and acceleration. A study on secularisation]. In Aceleración, prognosis y secularización [Acceleration, prognosis and secularisation], 96. Valencia: Pre-Textos, 2003.
Koselleck, Reinhart. Futuro passado: Contribuição à semântica dos tempos históricos [Future past: Contribution to the semantics of historical times]. Rio de Janeiro: Contraponto/Ed. PUC Rio, 2006.
Lima, Nísia Trindade. Um sertão chamado Brasil: Intelectuais e representação geográfica da identidade nacional [A backland called Brazil: Intellectuals and geographic representation of national identity]. Rio de Janeiro: Revan/IUPERJ/UCAM, 1999.
Lisboa, Karen Macknow. A nova Atlântida de Spix e Martius: Natureza e civilização na “Viagem pelo Brasil” (1817-1820) [The new Atlantis of Spix and Martius: Nature and civilisation in “Journey through Brazil” (1817-1820)]. São Paulo: Hucitec, 1997.
Machado, Antônio de Alcântara. “Geração revoltada” [Revolted generation]. In Presença da literatura brasileira. Modernismo: história e antologia [Presence of Brazilian literature. Modernism: History and anthology], edited by Antonio Candido and José Aderaldo Castello. Rio de Janeiro: Bertrand Brasil, 1997.
Marramao, Giacomo. Céu e Terra [Sky and earth]. São Paulo: Editora da Unesp, 1994.
Moraes, Eduardo Jardim de. “Modernismo revisitado” [Modernism revisited]. Estudos Históricos 1/2 (1988): 220-38.
Palti, Elias. El tiempo de la politica, el siglo XIX reconsiderado [The time of politics, the nineteenth century reconsidered]. Buenos Aires: Siglo Veintiuno, 2007.
Phillips, Mark Salber. “Rethinking historical distance: From doctrine to heuristic”. History and Theory 50/4 (2011): 11-23.
Podgorny, Irina. “La febbre dei fossili. Pedro de Angelis y el carácter transnacional de la ciencia” [The fossils fever: Pedro de Angelis and the transnational character of science]. Zama 5/5 (2013): 11-26.
Prado, Paulo. Retrato do Brasil. Ensaio sobre a tristeza brasileira [Portrait of Brazil: essay on Brazilian sadness]. 4th ed. Rio de Janeiro: F. Briguiet & Cia, 1931.
Rodrigues, Nina. As raças humanas e a responsabilidade penal no Brasil [Human races and criminal responsibility in Brazil]. Salvador: Progresso Editora, 1957.
Romero, Sílvio. “Nosso maior mal” [Our greatest disease]. In Provocações e debates (contribuições para o estudo do Brazil social) [Provocations and debates (Contributions for the study of social Brazil)]. Porto: Livraria Chardron, 1910.
Romero, Sílvio. Estudos de poesia popular do Brasil [Studies in popular poetry of Brazil]. Rio de Janeiro: Vozes, 1977.
Torres, Alberto. O problema nacional brasileiro. Introducção a um programma de organização nacional [The Brazilian national problem: introduction to a national organisation programme]. São Paulo: Companhia Editora Nacional, 1933.
Veríssimo, José. A educação nacional [The national education]. Porto Alegre: Mercado Aberto, 1985.
Vianna, Francisco José Oliveira. Populações ruraes do centro-sul (Paulistas – fluminenses – mineiros) [Rural populations of Center-South Brazil (Paulistas – Fluminenses – Mineiros)]. Vol. 1 of Populações meridionaes do Brazil (Historia – organização – psycologia) [Meridional populations of Brazil (History–organisation–psychology)]. São Paulo: Monteiro Lobato & Cia. Editores, 1920.
Most read articles by the same author(s)