OLIVEIRA LIMA, M. DE - Pernambuco. Seu Desenvolvimento Historico

Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus, 1895. First Edition. Contemporary Quarter Red Roan with marbled boards. With frontispiece & plates. Endpapers marbled and with Brazilian booksellers label on front pastedown. New papers inserted between original endpapers and bookblock, so book was expertly repaired at one point in its history. Binding slightly cracked between half title and recto frontispiece but otherwise tight. Slight chipping to fore edge of a few pages. Paper slightly yellowed as normal for age. Some pages with underlining in pencil. Bottom corners somewhat worn & slightly damaged. Slight wear & slight soiling to spine, covers & corners. ; Manuel de Oliveira Lima’s Pernambuco Seu Desenvolvimento Histórico (1895) is a seminal study of northeastern Brazil’s socio-political evolution, blending positivist theory with regional analysis. Written during the author’s diplomatic career, the book positions Pernambuco as a microcosm of Brazil’s colonial and post-independence struggles. Oliveira Lima frames Portuguese colonization as a “civilizing mission, ” crediting the monarchy and church for implanting European institutions while critiquing enduring social hierarchies. Central to his thesis is Pernambuco’s economic prominence during the sugar boom (16th–17th centuries) , which fostered a distinct regional identity marked by intellectual dynamism and political dissent, exemplified by the 1817 Revolution—a failed but ideologically significant uprising against Portuguese rule. The work traces Pernambuco’s transition from sugar monoculture to a diversified agrarian economy in the 18th and 19th centuries. Oliveira Lima links this shift to global market forces, particularly British industrialization, which spurred demand for cotton and tobacco. He critiques the senhores de engenho (plantation elites) for perpetuating colonial-era inequalities, including slavery, even as they championed liberal ideals. The 1817 Revolution, while inspired by Enlightenment principles, is portrayed as a paradox: though it sought independence and constitutionalism, its leadership excluded marginalized groups like Afro-Brazilians and the rural poor, limiting its transformative potential. Oliveira Lima emphasizes Pernambuco’s intellectual networks, highlighting transatlantic exchanges with European thinkers that shaped regional politics. He praises Dom João VI’s reforms, such as the 1808 opening of Brazilian ports, for integrating Pernambuco into global trade and fostering modernization. The book also reassesses colonial legacies, challenging nationalist narratives that dismissed Portuguese rule as inept. Instead, Oliveira Lima credits the monarchy with establishing administrative cohesion, arguing that Brazil’s post-independence stability under Emperor Pedro I stemmed from these colonial foundations. Historically, Pernambuco Seu Desenvolvimento Histórico pioneered comparative methods in Brazilian scholarship, contrasting Pernambuco’s trajectory with Spanish American republics. While reflecting 19th-century Eurocentric biases, the work anticipates later debates about regionalism and national identity. Oliveira Lima’s analysis of economic systems, social stratification, and the tension between centralization and regional autonomy remains influential, offering a bridge between colonial history and modern Brazilian state-building. His nuanced portrayal of Pernambuco’s past underscores the complexities of a region that shaped—and was shaped by—the contradictions of empire and republicanism. ; 22.7 x 14.2 x 2.2 cms; xiv, 327 pages. Very Good with no dust jacket .

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