About
The research
Between a deep past
and an imminent future:
human action and the environmental impact
of modern colonialism in the Amazon
(16th-18th centuries)
It is a collaborative and transdisciplinary research project that focuses on the socio-environmental impact of modern colonialism in the Amazon. Both indigenous people and colonizers transformed the Amazonian landscape and shaped its territory, but in what way? These and other questions will be answered by cross-referencing archaeological and historical data. To this end, a cartographic platform will be developed, distributing the data spatially and allowing a visualization of this period. Still in progress, the proposal is unprecedented for the historiography of Portuguese America and could attract the interest of researchers in the field and stimulate the production of new work.
Paradigma do arcaísmo
As explained in the text "Génesis de un arcaísmo: la Amazonía y su antropología" by Anne-Christinne Taylor, the paradigm of archaism refers to the traditional and simplistic view that has dominated the understanding of the Amazon and its indigenous societies for many years. This paradigm considers Amazonian cultures to be static, primitive and unchanging, isolated from historical dynamics and external influences, living in a state of cultural backwardness in relation to Western societies and even in comparison with other indigenous cultures in the Americas.
A complex context
Since the 1970s, Amazonian studies have been driven by a historical context in which indigenous people have emerged as historical agents and subjects of knowledge, both nationally and internationally. In this way, archaeologists, ethnologists and historians transformed their research agendas, and the Amazon overcame the paradigm of archaism.
Advances in knowledge about the Amazonian territory in the period before the arrival of the Europeans highlighted a complex and diverse human and material scenario. The occupation of the region dates back 15,000 years, and the populations who lived through the arrival of the Europeans descended from peoples who had undergone intense processes of transformation: population growth, geographical displacement, cultural changes, among others.
As the first travelers reported, when Europeans arrived in the Amazon, they found populations with great socio-political diversity and societies articulated in exchange relationships that included commercial trade, political alliances and wars. In addition, recent archaeological discoveries show that these peoples are an indispensable part of the promotion of Amazonian biodiversity, since generations of cultivators have acted in plant selection and seed dissemination.
It was precisely the interest in Amazonian plants that prompted the first European incursions into the territory back in the 16th century. How did the English, French, Dutch and Spanish economically exploit these promising natural resources? By appropriating the knowledge and labor of the native peoples. They traded, used violence and incorporated the populations into their empires through evangelization and enslavement.
Questions
What impact did the Portuguese colonization of the Amazon have on indigenous societies, their environment, their space and their practices? What new realities did the human actions of native peoples and colonizers create? What can the measurement and qualification of the impact caused by these actions in the modern period tell us about contemporary socio-environmental challenges, as well as alternative policies for mitigating the destructive effects of ongoing climate change?
Methodology
The methodology of this research follows two main stages: the collection, organization and production of data relating to the 16th to 18th centuries; and the spatialization of this data on a cartographic platform.
In the first stage, two axes of analysis are worked on:
- Populations and territories: examines demographic dynamics, population flows and territorial fixation in pre-colonial and colonial contexts. We test the hypothesis that the population decline of the Amazonian peoples was due to various factors and did not occur only at the beginning of colonization, but intensified throughout it.
- Knowledge, work and circulation: analyses indigenous knowledge about plant species, indigenous work practices and organization, as well as their connections with the Atlantic circuit. This axis is based on the analysis of various historical documents, mainly from the 18th century.
In the second stage, the data gathered will be integrated into the Atlas of the Colonial Amazon, an interactive cartographic platform that will make it possible to visualize population flows and colonial and pre-colonial occupations. When completed, the Atlas could become a central reference for Amazonian studies.
Desafios e métodos
Trabalho Indígena: reconhecimento da relevância do trabalho e conhecimento indígena na sociedade colonial.
Paradigmas Historiográficos: superação de modelos explicativos tradicionais centrados na escravidão africana.
Metodologia Inovadora: utilização de uma plataforma digital para a organização e análise de dados históricos.
Dimensão Espacial: enfoque na espacialização do conhecimento para entender as transformações territoriais.
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