Gathering vassals around the Throne: The Brazilian postal system in the formation of territory, markets and statehood (1829 - 1889) - Comparative approach between Brazil and the United States

• Grant number: 18/03712-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: July 25, 2018
• End date: December 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of Brazil
• Principal Investigator: Alexandre Macchione Saes
• Grantee: Pérola Maria Goldfeder Borges de Castro
• Supervisor: Richard R. John
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Columbia University in the City of New York, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 15/11209-3 - The General Postal Agency: public administration, politics and finances in the Brazilian imperial postal system (1829-1888), BP.DR

Abstract

This project refers to the continuation of my ongoing doctoral research (FAPESP Process n. 2015/11209-3) developed in the Department of History of São Paulo University - Brazil. The purpose of the investigation in progress is to analyze the formation of Brazilian postal system in a comparative approach with other correlated processes in the world, especially in the United States, where postal communications played an important role in 19th century public life. Therefore, an academic stay in Columbia University in the City of New York may enhance the potential contributions of my research, since it will be an opportune experience to collect bibliographical sources and interact with other researches. The academic experience will be supervised by Prof. Richard R. John, whose expertise in history of communications, a field that he have cleared and cultivated since the publication of Spreading the News: The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse (1995), will help me to pursue the goals of the doctoral investigations in progress.