Writing of biographical micro-narratives of Luso-Brazilian travelers: Conections between the History of Science in Brazil and teaching

Abstract

This study about the Philosophical Portuguese Journeys to Brazil aims at expanding the theme of and the approach to the History of Science in Brazil, promoting the debate about how the work on scientific practices, techniques and representations allows the development of teaching methodologies that encompass Brazilian themes in their context. From the gathered sources, obtained from a bibliographical database of travelers, we were able to draw relationship webs linking politicians, drawers, engineers, cartographers, engravers, naturalists and the local population. In order to disclose the data, this gathered material challenged us to think about proposals of biographical writings of travelers within the virtual environment. Such framework allows our work to ensure two scales of importance, i.e., to emphasize the particular role of travelers, demonstrating singularities, and to guarantee the analysis of social contexts via interpersonal relations from a space-time perspective. Within such biographies and elaborating on the hybrid character of the genre, we defined that the formulation of micro-narratives would grant the biographical writing constructed around the travelers. The writing of short texts will basically follow the modal biography, pointing to the network of social relations of the subject, and also by the biographemes, characterized by the production of a momentary biographical impression. Through a non-linear historical process, the biographical writings and the creation of hyperlinks allow the complex nature of the relationships of that period to be reflected in the micro-narratives formulated.

Biographical writings; Teaching of sciences; Philosophical journeys; Scientific publications