Sobre a República nos tempos do Império: entre a história e a teoria social

Abstract

This paper approaches the history of the concepts of republic and sovereignty in nineteenth–century Brazil. The aim is to demonstrate that understanding the concept of republic is not possible without understanding its internal relations with the concept of sovereignty, but at the same time this understanding demands a background that can be offered only by a reflection coming from the social theory. At first, it discusses the concept of republic between 1750 and 1850 as presented in the Iberconceptos project. Next, it focuses on Frei Caneca’s writings to analyse the concept of republic in the context of Brazil’s Independence and to relate it to the concept of sovereignty. Afterwards, it demonstrates the overall articulation between the concepts of republic and sovereignty from Brazil’s Independence to the Republican Party’s Manifest. Finally, it presents a reflection about the relationship between history and social theory.