Revista Brasileira (1857-1861): appropriations of the “other” as a thermometer of the illustration

Abstract

This work is the beginning of a long research on all editions of theRevista Brasileira during the nineteenth century (1857/1861; 1879/1881; 1895/1899). The proposal here is to present the study realized on the editorial history of the first phase, with emphasis on the appropriation and consequent figuration of the “other” in the moment of the nation’s constituition. The Revista Brasileira used a very important editorial program directed towards building projects of Brazil’s modernization in the nineteenth century, like press development, of a liberal project for the economy, a literature which, although was looking for it’s singularity, wouldn´t deprived itself of appropriate dimensions of the “other” and a Science in compasses with the european progress. The key of comprehension for the proposal of the periodical seems to be understanding the “other” as a beacon for thinking about nationality and to measure the position of the countrie´s progress, as a thermometer. In this way, the challenge put brings to the surface troubles about the study of exchanges and a “culture of reception”, important for the complexification of strategies adopted by those historical actors.