Science periodicals in 19th century Brazil: a study of the Auxiliador da Indústria Nacional (1833-1892, 1896)

• Grant number: 23/02944-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: August 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of Science
• Principal Investigator: Gildo Magalhães dos Santos Filho
• Grantee: David Francisco de Moura Penteado
• Supervisor: Chris Manias
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: King's College London, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/06235-9 - Scientific journalism in 19th century Brazil: a study of the Auxiliador da Indústria Nacional (1833-1892; 1896), BP.DD

Abstract

In the first half of the 19th century, in Rio de Janeiro, dozens of periodicals that proposed to popularise scientific knowledge and its techniques were published with a common objective: a civilising project for the new-born nation. Among these periodicals, in 1833, a periodical derived from this tradition was launched, which stood out for its longevity and specificity in the search for the improvement of the country's production methods, O Auxiliador da Industria Nacional (The Helper of National Industry). The periodical was created by the Sociedade Auxiliadora da Indústria Nacional (Society for the Promotion of the National Industry), having circulated for sixty years, being extinct only in 1896. This research seeks to understand the history and functioning of the periodical and which transformations it underwent, editorial and institutional. Through the analysis of institutional documents, the compilation and classification of the periodical's content, the examination of the relevant official bibliography, and the historiography of international and national science journalism and science communication, this project proposes to analyse the history of the periodical over its six decades of publication, the thematic evolution of the texts published in its pages, the individual participation in the changes undergone by the periodical and the participation of the Brazilian government in its financing and distribution. (AU)