Turning the century: the intellectuals and the politics in the Iberian Peninsula (1870-1939)

• Grant number: 05/01450-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: January 14, 2006
• End date: May 13, 2006
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - Modern and Contemporary History
• Principal Investigator: Ana Lúcia Lana Nemi
• Grantee: Ana Lúcia Lana Nemi
• Host Investigator: Rui Ramos
• Host Institution: Pessoa Física
• Institution abroad: Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

Abstract

This postdoctoral project has as main objective the study of nation’s building idea. I aim to establish how intellectual Iberian elites, at the passage of the 19th century to the 20th, deal with this idea. I consider as central aspects the notion, elaborated since early 15th century, of the colonial Empire decadence and the perception of delay that Portugal and Spain had when compared themselves with the capitalist lead countries, although the central focus of my research is the colonial Empire come apart impact in these intellectuals thought. I intend to study the generations of 1870 and 1910 in Portugal and the generations of 1898 and 1914 in Spain. These men had important contributions in the Liberal State constitution and in the capitalist Economy organization. Furthermore, I exanimate two pairs of opposite concepts -delay/modernization and decadence/regeneration - and how these intellectuals work with them. I argue that the dialog between these men and Brazilian ones is a vital element to illuminate their questions and debates. And through this dialog became clear, how important the conection with the Thematic Project is: “Dimensões do Império Português: Investigação sobre as estruturas e dinâmicas do Antigo Sistema Colonial” for this research. The intellectual Iberian elites had as primary theme the structural the emphasis the slave work that shaped the construction of the colonial empires and, at same time, lead their fall apart. (AU)