The Introduction of Darwinism in Brazil

Abstract

The reception of Charles Darwin’s theory in Brazil in the decades after the publication of the Origin of Species was controversial in both scientific and intellectual circles. The present preliminary analysis of the theme will focus on scientific debates, since they reflected the main theoretical lines followed by Brazilian scientists of the epoch.¹ Such discussions, of course, were both part of a general system of knowledge and a reflection of the specific cultural context of the country.² More particularly, we will analyze the controversies associated with the introduction of evolutionary ideas in Brazil and questions related to the origin of man and races inspired by Darwin’s theory of evolution. In Brazil, during the last decades of the nineteenth century, evolutionary thought and racial theory represented guiding axes for the natural sciences and strongly influenced the ideas of the intellectuals who were involved in defining Brazilian nationality. Since the process of reception of science involves a complex of interactions among scientists, their production, and society—a process which may be either institutional or political-ideological—we also intend to examine such interrelationships.³