Identidade nacional e anglofobia na imprensa do Rio de Janeiro (1845-1863)

Abstract

The present paper deals with the relationship between Anglophobia and national identity between the years of 1845 and 1863, based on the Rio de Janeiro press of the period, specifically the newspapers Diario de Rio de Janeiro, Correio Mercantil, O constitucional, A Actualidade and Semana Illustrada. Events such as the enactment of the Aberdeen bill and the blockade of the port of Rio de Janeiro during what became known as the Christie issue were moments of crisis in the diplomatic relations between the two countries and central events for the reflection present in this work. From the reading of the sources it was intended to identify that the press of Rio de Janeiro plays a fundamental role in the elaboration of the national identity, the feeling of aversion to England, present in several of these publications, functions as an important element in this sense. The methodology used was the analysis of primary sources, the editions of selected newspapers and local circulation pamphlets, allied to bibliographic research. As theoretical-methodological references, the works of Jurgen Habermas, Mudança estrutural na esfera pública; Linguagens do ideário político, by John Pocock; História Intelectual do Brasil: a retórica como chave de leitura written by José Murilo de Carvalho, and As transformações do espaço público, by Marco Morel. From the study carried out, one can conclude that Anglophobia was an important constituent of a plan of national identity construction desired both by the Brazilian state and by the national literature. In this context, the press deserves to be highlighted as a vehicle for disseminating these ideals.