In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section History of Brazilian Foreign Policy (1808 to 1945)

  • Introduction
  • General Overviews
  • Textbooks
  • Reference Works
  • Journals

International Relations History of Brazilian Foreign Policy (1808 to 1945)
by
Antônio Carlos Lessa, Rogerio de Souza Farias
  • LAST MODIFIED: 07 January 2025
  • DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199743292-0325

Introduction

Journalists, lawyers, and diplomats constituted the prime authors in the history of Brazilian foreign relations. They usually worked in a laudatory framework and had limited analytical and theoretical skills. This changed in the second half of the twentieth century. The rise of the professional study of history in universities and research institutes in Brazil and abroad brought new interpretations and methods. The field, however, has since struggled with three challenges. First, it still focuses on traditional actors, sources, and narratives. Few studies, therefore, promote genuine dialogue with other social sciences and emphasize issues like gender, migration, culture, and ideas. The second challenge is the limited use of primary sources from other countries to understand Brazilian foreign policy. The result is usually a self-centered approach that fails to consider broader geopolitical, economic, and social contexts. The third is the role of the Brazilian government in shaping the academic agenda. Several contributions are still biased, usually promoting the legitimacy of state actors and their goals and actions.

General Overviews

Bethell 1984–2008 and Schwarcz, et al. 2011–2014 are major, large collections encompassing a plethora of themes. Almost all volumes include a relevant chapter on Brazilian foreign policy. Albuquerque, et al. 2006 serves as an excellent complement to the period after 1930.

  • Albuquerque, José Augusto Guilhon, Ricardo Seitenfus, and Sérgio H. Nabuco de Castro, eds. Sessenta anos de política externa, 1930–1990. 2d ed. 4 vols. São Paulo, Brazil: Cultural Editores Associados/NUPRI, 2006.

    Vol. 1, Crescimento, modernização e política externa; Vol. 2, Diplomacia para o desenvolvimento; Vol. 3, O desafio geoestratégico; Vol. 4, Prioridades, atores e políticas. Major collection marking the constitution of the foreign policy analysis community in Brazil. The volumes include chapters on a vast array of themes and periods of the era of the republic.

  • Bethell, Leslie, ed. The Cambridge History of Latin America. 11 vols. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1984–2008.

    These volumes are the most authoritative collection of Latin American historiography. Not all volumes are useful in understanding Brazilian foreign relations—Volume 7, for instance, does not present chapters on Brazilian history. The best contributions are in Volume 9, Brazil since 1930 (on Brazilian foreign economic relations) and Volume 11, Bibliographical Essays. In 1989, Leslie Bethell edited five chapters on Brazilian history originally published in Volumes 1 to 5 in a separate volume.

  • Schwarcz, Lilia Moritz, José Murilo de Carvalho, Alberto da Costa e Silva, Angela de Castro Gomes, and Daniel Aarão Reis, eds. História do Brasil Nação, 1808–2010. 6 vols. Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, 2011–2014.

    Each volume has a chapter entitled “Brazil in the World” authored, respectively, by Rubens Ricupero (Vol. 1 for the period 1808–1830), Leslie Bethell (Vol. 2, for the period 1830–1889), Francisco Doratioto (Vol. 3 for the period 1889–1930), Letícia Pinheiro (Vol. 4 for the period 1930–1964), and Francisco Carlos Teixeira da Silva (Vol. 5 for the period 1964–2010).

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