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Nineteenth century exhibitions’ abroad and the contribution of colonial objects to the imaginal creation of the portuguese Empire

2015; University of Coimbra; Issue: 46 Linguagem: Inglês

10.14195/0870-4147_46_14

2183-3796

Carla Alferes Pinto,

History, Culture, and Diplomacy

portuguesA ideia de uma “epoca aurea dos descobrimentos” como factor identitario faz parte do discurso e da memoria de muitos portugueses. Para a consolidacao desta ideia contribuiram as imagens que foram sendo veiculadas por exposicoes realizadas ao longo do seculo XIX. Estas mostras procuravam tracar a “marca” de Portugal atraves da narrativa construida em torno de episodios seleccionados que eram exibidos com o recurso a programas de ideias e objectos (arte e cultura material), e que construiram um imaginario supostamente comum, que se manteve por mais de um seculo. Neste texto procurei desenvolver alguns aspectos que levaram a construcao imaginal do Imperio portugues, recorrendo a episodios especificos, como o momento de introducao das mercadorias com origem colonial no discurso nacional, a maneira como esses produtos foram apresentados, quais as circunstâncias que “transformaram” os objectos etnograficos em artisticos e que outra cultura material foi desde o inicio associada a representacao dos descobrimentos. EnglishThe idea of a “golden era of the discoveries” associated to identity has long been shared by some Portuguese discourse and memory. Visual culture spread by 19th century exhibitions has contributed to strengthen the aforesaid narrative. These exhibits “branded” Portugal through a selection of episodes of the country’s history that were emphasized by conceptual programs and the display of objects (art and material culture), hence creating a narrative and an imaginary expected to be shared by all, and that in fact survived for more than a century. In this text I analyze some aspects that shaped the imaginal construction looking at specific events: the moment when colonial commodities were introduced in the discourse of “national production”, the way these products were presented, the circumstances that “transformed” ethnographic in artistic objects, and which other material culture was associated to the “Portuguese discoveries” since the beginning of its representation.