Otherness in dispute: Representations of Brazil by Richard Francis Burton.

• Grant number: 25/05723-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of Science
• Principal Investigator: Maria Helena Pereira Toledo Machado
• Grantee: Helder Monteiro Pelegrino
• Supervisor: Innes Michael Keighren
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of London, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/17679-0 - Otherness in dispute: Representations of Brazil by Richard Francis Burton., BP.IC

Abstract

The object of analysis of this research project is the Travel Writing The Highlands of The Brazil written by Richard Francis Burton. The author was an explorer from the Victorian period who gained renown inside British scientific societies for his travels in the Middle East and Africa through the 1850s and 1860s. However, he encounters constant controversies because of his opinions, which contradicted the humanitarianism dominant in these organizations. Starting in 1865, the author worked as a consul in Brazil, by which he established links with the court and the Emperor, partially because of his pro-slavery views. In 1867, this controversial character embarked on an expedition in Minas Gerais and through the São Francisco River, resulting in the Travel Writing in question, published in 1869. This writing presents an alternative project for British action in Brazil, his geographical and populational descriptions seeking to support his more conservative perspective. However, to fully understand this project, it is necessary to examine the context surrounding his role as consul. With this in mind, this internship seeks to access Foreign Office documentation related to Burton's consular period.