In 1838, Brazilian historiography gained a new page in its trajectory when, in that year, the inauguration of the Brazilian Geographical Institute was made, on October 2nd. Formed with the support of Brigadier Raimundo de Cunha Mattos and Canon Januário da Cunha Barbosa, this institution established the development of a writing of our past carried out just after the consolidation of our independence in relation to Portugal.
In addition to marking a moment of autonomy, this milestone was extremely important in guiding the research carried out by the institute and in a writing style committed to the formation of an identity. At the same time that there was an urge to think about and identify our nation through the study of the past, the institute also questioned, since its creation, if the information then available about our historical experience was reliable and what gaps should still be filled.
In this respect, we realized that the revision would be one of the great missions to be embraced by the institute. However, this concern did not simply revolve around a national historiography. In many moments, she would be endowed with an honesty easily confused with a patriotic commitment. Despite this, the IHGB offered a job of searching and organizing documents, without which this new proposal would not have the necessary conditions for its rigorous execution.
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With regard to the formation of a national identity, the IHGB appears as an alternative capable of identify and record the lives of heroes who would be linked to the development project of our homeland. Thus, dialoguing with German historiographical parameters, the founders of the institute recognize a didactic power in appreciating the past. They look at history as a significant instrument for reaching a nation capable of learning and improving from what it has already lived through.
Since its inception, the IHGB has sought to carry out its institutional mission with the publication of the Revista do IHGB, which was concerned with investigating colonization. In addition, we observe the promotion of conferences and courses, the organization of an archive and a public-oriented library. In such a way, among the pretensions, limits, concepts and problems of the historical perspective of the time, the IHGB contributed to the emergence of new possibilities on Brazilian historiography.
By Rainer Sousa
Master in History
Brazil School Team
Brazil Monarchy - history of Brazil - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SOUSA, Rainer Gonçalves. "The creation of the Brazilian Geographical Historical Institute"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiab/a-criacao-instituto-historico-geografico-brasileiro.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
