Space and time in Brazil at 19th and 20th centuries : territory, science and the National Observatory.
Moema VERGARA, MASt, Brazil
Sabina LUZ, UNIRIO, Brazil
Territory can have very different definitions that show multiple understandings of the relation between space and human beans, but also different uses related to cultural and linguistic distinctions. The definition of the state territory, on the other hand, has a very traditional place in the history of geography as the space under a state power (Dahlman, 2009, p. 77). However, there are still some characteristics of the process of construction of the state territory that can be investigated, specially at the Brazilian case. As some authors have showed (Moraes, 2005; Mattos, 2005), the Brazilian nation was defined mostly by the land it occupied. Due to the lack of equality and liberty in a very hierarchical society – slavery wasn't abolished until 1888 (!), the Brazilian modern state corresponded more to a specific piece of land than one nation. For that reason, cartography, boundaries definitions, territory integration by telegraphy and railroads became, at 19 th and the beginning of the 20 th centuries, the main concern of the state and, consequently, of a great number of scientific institutions. Among them, the National Observatory played a special role. The aim of this paper is to investigate the measure of time at the National Observatory in Brazil as a scientific activity linked, at the same time, to territorial projects that needed the astronomic expertise for geodesic calculations and also to the creation of time zones in Brazil in 1913 that divided the territory into four different hours. Connecting time and space through the observatory activities can help us to see that there would be no state territory without a scientific time. In other words: science was a essential part of the construction of the Brazilian state, as its institutions.
Mots clés : territory|science|Observatory|Brazil|19th and 20th centuries
A105542SL