Between "letras & armas", history as dispute: Considerations on Luso-Brazilian historiography in the 18th century

Abstract

This essay traces some considerations on the 18th century Luso-Brazilian historiographical practice. From the topos "letras & armas" - common in that intellectual ambiance to define the relations between knowledge and power, literary world and political space - it is suggested that the historical dissertation was a privileged discursive modality for the definition of the legitimacy of the historical writing. Therefore, the dissertation was located between the mode of making particular memories and history itself. The "armas & letras" topic is confronted in some Portuguese and "Brasilic" authors, above all in the Academia Brasílica dos Esquecidos (1724).