Urbanização versus Tribalismo: o imaginário francês sobre o Novo Mundo a partir de relatos de navegação dos Séculos XVI e XVII

Abstract

This work presents an analysis of European geographic and cultural conceptions about Brazil and America, based on translations of French texts from the 17th and 19th centuries that document the first French expedition to land in Brazil, led by Binot Gonneville, in 1503 The analysis focuses on perceptions recorded in maps and travel reports and cartographic documents, revealing the impact of the encounter between the urbanized and rural European world and the indigenous tribal cultures of the Americas, in addition to the mythical Southern Land. The research highlights the context of the voyage of the Norman captain Gonneville aboard the ship L’Espoir (1503-1505), when he reached the coast of the current southern coast of Brazil, where he found the carijós. At this meeting, a chief allowed Gonneville to take his son to Europe, with the promise of returning in twenty moons. Thus, the study constitutes an anthropological and sociological dialogue between two worlds — the urban European and the tribal indigenous —, fundamental for understanding the bases of Western thought about the American territory. In summary, the research aims to explore European views and perceptions about America and the Southern Land, analyzing the impact and cultural exchanges that occurred during the first French expeditions to Brazil, with a special focus on Binot Gonneville's expedition. To this end, it uses translations of French texts from the 17th and 19th centuries and historical documents, such as maps, logbooks and travel reports.