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Environment and culture in the captaincies of the brazilian colonial northeast: nationalism and reforms illustrated in the work of the nature explorer, manuel arruda da câmara (1793-1814)

This study proposes to raise a discussion about the images and visions of nature explorers who were traveling in the Northeast of Brazil at the end of the eighteen century and the beginning of the nineteenth with respect to the natural environment of this territory. The objective is to investigate the interaction between nature and culture in the work of nature explorer, Manuel Arruda da Câmara, in the Northeast Captaincy during the Colony-Empire transition. Observations can be made that although this scientist was working in the colonial Northeast Captaincy and aiming to satisfy the economic and political interests of the Kingdom of Portugal, he glorified the natural surroundings of the tropical colonies, and also sought to encourage the population of Brazil to follow suit. Therefore, even though playing a part of the Luso-Brazilian "illustrated generation", this nature explorer's nationalism led him to highly value the colonial natural environment.

Environment; History; Explorers; Colonial Brazil


Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho Faculdade de Ciências e Letras, UNESP, Campus de Assis, 19 806-900 - Assis - São Paulo - Brasil, Tel: (55 18) 3302-5861, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, UNESP, Campus de Franca, 14409-160 - Franca - São Paulo - Brasil, Tel: (55 16) 3706-8700 - Assis/Franca - SP - Brazil
E-mail: revistahistoria@unesp.br