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Lucia Maria Bastos Pereira das Neves The forgotten in the independence process: a history to be made

Almanack, Guarulhos, n. 25, ef00220, 2020 http://doi.org/10.1590/2236-463325ef00220

is a concern to find other figures in addition to José Bonifácio, Pedro I, the empress Leopoldina, José da Silva Lisboa, Joaquim Gonçalves Ledo and many other interestresting and well known characters (that, undoubtedly, can reveal new contributions), that also made the Independence. Looking at lives and actions that remain anonymous can bring consequences through new sources and approaches that allow a rethought of the Independence process, aimed not only at its borders but at a dialogue that finds in the Atlantic the point of union of their ideas and actions.^[1]

In this sense, in which the field of the historian, as Jacques Revel affirms, has nothing to do with the individual’s sovereignty, but with social choices and strategies^[2], it is possible to find unknown figures, who cannot and should not be reduced to pieces in a field of impersonal forces, since they left traces in the formation of a new empire - that of Brazil, from 1822. However, how can we find such clues and individuals?

Perspectives on the centenary of Independence (1822-1922)

Upon completing one hundred years on September 7th, 1922, the history of the construction of the Brazilian Empire was still essentially turned to the study of the facts and the great characters who had achieved the Indepenedence. Despite the festivities and celebrations that caused some suspicion on the part of the later historiography due to its official nature, little news emerged to explain the process^[3]. Undoubtedly, one of the fundamental works that came to

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Forum

1. ADELMAN, Jeremy. Sovereignty and revolution in the Iberian Atlantic. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006.
2. REVEL, Jacques. Interiew with Jacques Revel. Interviewer: Marieta de Moraes Ferreira. Historical Studies Magazine, Rio de Janeiro, v. 10, n. 19, p. 121-140, 1997.
3. For the study of the 100 years of the Independence Celebration, cf. MOTTA, Marly Silva da. The Nation turns 100 years: the national issue in the Independence Centennial. Rio de Janeiro: Publisher of Fundação Getúlio Vargas, 1992.