The economic ideas of bispo de Olinda and Visconde de Cairu for a reformist project of the Portuguese empire: the new metropolis-colony relations

• Grant number: 15/09353-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): August 01, 2015
• Effective date (End): October 06, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Economics
• Principal Investigator: Eliana Tadeu Terci
• Grantee: Tobias de Paula Lima Souza
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project aims to analyze the economic thought of José Joaquim da Cunha Azeredo Coutinho - the Bishop of Olinda - (1742-1821), leader of the Brazilian enlightenment thought, and José da Silva Lisboa - the Cairu Viscount - (1756- 1835), who was considered the most important critic of the colonial system in Portugal and the formulator of the economic policy of King João VI in Brazil. The purpose of this research is to rescue the main proposals and theoretical and philosophical influences for the definition of a reformist project of relations between Portugal and Brazil, in order to review the Portuguese colonial policy and rebuild the economic and political relations between the Portuguese metropolitan state and its American colony, attempting to reconcile the interests of the wealthy groups of the colony, the metropolitan traders and the Portuguese Crown. The methodological procedure includes: investigation of the major works of these two authors of the Brazilian and Portuguese enlightened thought, published between 1794 and 1820, considering the main proposals and theoretical and philosophical influences to rebuild the relations between Portugal and Brazil. Considering the crisis of the colonial system, the advance of capitalism and liberal ideas which sought to break with the old regime structures, based on mercantilist policy and absolutism, a reformist project became urgent during this period. Internally, the intensive growth of economic activities in the colony was no longer consistent with the metropolitan restrictions to which it remained subjected. Furthermore, we seek to identify the influences that these two authors received from the main trends and authors of European economic thought, such as the mercantilists, the French physiocracy and the liberal thought of the eighteenth century. This project continues a previous study supported by USP (PIBIC/Institutional Scholarship).