Nation and civilization in the tropics: the Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute and a national history project

Abstract

This article focuses on the Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute (IHGB) and the historiographical project that it implemented in undertaking the study and writing of the nation's history. Founded in 1838, a time when the model of a centralized national state met with resistance from diverse sectors of Brazilian society, the IHGB was to orient a line for interpreting Brazilian history based on the civilizing and progressive role of the state - first Portuguese and, as of 1822, Brazilian. With its proposal to interpret Brazilian nationality, the Institute was to play a key role in unifying the political and intellectual élites in 19th century Brazil, making a significant contribution to the construction of the myths and the imaginary content of nationality. The Revista do Instituto Histórico, which the Institute published on a regular basis from the time of its foundation, became a distinguished forum for discussions of a political and cultural nature revolving around the question of national organization, its bases and content, during hte 19th century. For this reason, it proved to be an indispensable source for analyzing this cultural institution and the scholarship that it produced about Brazil.