Administrating the distance in a continental Empire: the cartographic matter and the governability of Rio Grande do Sul in the Second Reign (1850-1880).

• Grant number: 23/17965-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of Brazil
• Principal Investigator: Iris Kantor
• Grantee: Amanda Chiamenti Both
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The proposed study aims to identify and analyze the relation mechanisms between provincial and imperial administration and the production of cartographic representations of the provinces based on the Topographic Map of the Province of Rio Grande do Sul, by Eleuthério de Camargo, published in 1868. This was the main cartographic initiative by the provincial government during the Second Reign and its formulation extended from 1851 to 1868, encompassing, thus, a period characterized by relevant transformations, such as the border demarcation with Uruguay, the Land Law and the Paraguayan War. In face of such, we seek to understand how institutionalization in cartographic production regarding the provinces is linked to the administrative structure in general, especially to the presidency of the province, reflecting upon the constitution of the State itself and its relation with society. Therefore, this study will be developed on three main fronts: 1) mapping the acting of different provincial and imperial institutions on the gathering of information used in cartographic production, identifying alignments and disputes; 2) identifying markers for social and economical power of the province present in the map; 3) assessing the uses of the map by provincial and imperial administrations. Thus, by studying the cartographic process and its result, it may be possible to reconstitute levels of social and institutional interaction that gave the map meaning.