Historiography produced by Eduardo Prado at the end of the 19th century

ABSTRACT

This article examines the articulation between the historical method and political criticism in the historiography developed by the São Paulo writer Eduardo Prado during the transition from the 19th to the 20th century. At this time, Prado became known nationally and internationally as the main opponent of the young Brazilian Republic. The discussion is divided into three parts: first, I examine how the author mobilized the epistemological values of the historical method to confront the Brazilian government in the books Fastos da ditadura militar brasileira and Ilusão americana, published in 1890 and 1893, respectively. Next, I analyze the correspondence that Eduardo Prado exchanged with interlocutors such as Paranhos Júnior, Joaquim Nabuco, and Capistrano de Abreu, which sheds light on the dynamics of historiographical procedures in the Brazilian intellectual scene at the turn of the century. Finally, I discuss how Prado took criticism of the Brazilian Republic as a starting point for his research on Portuguese colonization in America, published in the late 1890s.

KEYWORDS:
Historiography; Historical method; Political criticism; Eduardo Prado