The Historiography of Early Modern Brazil. Tendencies and challenges of the last two decades

Abstract

This essay reviews the considerable historical production on colonialBrazil in the last twenty years. It notes that the various commemorations of the Columbus voyage, the discovery of Brazil, the abolition ofslavery, and the transference of the court have resulted in a “boom” ofpublications and research guides. Over this period the historiographicaltrend has been from social to cultural history with influences fromFrance, Italy, Portugal, and the United States particularly strong.The essay can not cover the full richness of recent historiographicalproduction and thus concentrates on four principal themes. It notes thegrowing interest in the history of the Brazilian Indians, greatly influencedby modern anthropological studies; Afro-Brazilian culture and slaverywhich continues to be a major field of concentration; the culturalhistory of the colony with emphasis on mentalities, material culture,and dissidence; and finally a new return to the history of governanceand administration that has profited greatly from the resurgence of earlymodern history in post-Salazar Portugal.