Activist Biology

Brazilian society was shaken by turmoil in the 1920s and 1930s. The country was rocked by heated debates over race and immigration, burgeoning social movements in cities and the countryside, entrenched oligarchies clinging to power, and nature being despoiled. Against this turbulent backdrop, a group of biology scholars at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro joined the drive to renew the Brazilian nation, claiming as their weapon the voice of their fledgling field. Without discarding scientific rigor, they embraced biology as a creed and activism as a conviction—and achieved success in their bid to influence public policy in environmental protection and the rational use of natural resources. For the first time in English, Brazil’s leading environmental historian, Regina Horta Duarte, brings us a nuanced analysis of the National Museum of Brazil’s contribution to that country’s formation and history. In "Activist Biology", Duarte explores the careers of three of these scientists as they leveraged biology as a strategy for change. Devoted to educational initiatives, they organized exhibits, promoted educational film and radio, wrote books, published science communication magazines, fostered school museums, and authored textbooks for young people. Their approach was transdisciplinary, and their reliance on multimedia formats was pioneering. Capturing a crucial period in Brazil’s history, this portrait of science as a creative and potentially transformative pathway will intrigue anyone fascinated by environmental history, museums, and the history of science. Duarte skillfully shows how Brazilian science furthered global scientific knowledge in ways that are relevant now more than ever

Activist Biology

Brazilian society was shaken by turmoil in the 1920s and 1930s. The country was rocked by heated debates over race and immigration, burgeoning social movements in cities and the countryside, entrenched oligarchies clinging to power, and nature being despoiled. Against this turbulent backdrop, a group of biology scholars at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro joined the drive to renew the Brazilian nation, claiming as their weapon the voice of their fledgling field. Without discarding scientific rigor, they embraced biology as a creed and activism as a conviction—and achieved success in their bid to influence public policy in environmental protection and the rational use of natural resources. For the first time in English, Brazil’s leading environmental historian, Regina Horta Duarte, brings us a nuanced analysis of the National Museum of Brazil’s contribution to that country’s formation and history. In "Activist Biology", Duarte explores the careers of three of these scientists as they leveraged biology as a strategy for change. Devoted to educational initiatives, they organized exhibits, promoted educational film and radio, wrote books, published science communication magazines, fostered school museums, and authored textbooks for young people. Their approach was transdisciplinary, and their reliance on multimedia formats was pioneering. Capturing a crucial period in Brazil’s history, this portrait of science as a creative and potentially transformative pathway will intrigue anyone fascinated by environmental history, museums, and the history of science. Duarte skillfully shows how Brazilian science furthered global scientific knowledge in ways that are relevant now more than ever

State, Society and Environment in Brazil in 200 Years of Independence

Este artigo intenta apresentar uma visão panorâmica da complexidade histórica das relações entre sociedade, estado e meio ambiente no Brasil. Argumenta que a genealogia dessas relações evidencia uma trajetória não linear, multifacetada e conflituosa. Há diversas tradições no palco dos confrontos políticos atuais: o Brasil se destaca por uma longa história de destruição, que remonta ao início da colonização do território, mas também por uma fértil tradição de pensamento conservacionista, significativas lutas socioambientais, e pelo pioneirismo nas pautas globais em prol do ambiente. Recuperar e valorizar a complexidade das relações entre sociedade e ambiente pode ser um ato decisivo na construção de caminhos futuros diversos para a questão socioambiental no Brasil, projetando e demonstrando a riqueza e o vigor de diferentes atores e práticas dissonantes.This article intends to present a panoramic view of the historical complexity of Brazil's relations between society, state, and environment. It argues that the genealogy of these relationships shows a non-linear, multifaceted, and conflicting trajectory. There are several traditions on the stage of current political confrontations: Brazil stands out for a long history of destruction, which dates back to the beginning of the colonisation of the territory, but also for a fertile tradition of conservationist thought, significant socio-environmental struggles, and its leadership in global guidelines for the environment. Recovering and valuing the complexity of the relations between society and the environment can be decisive in constructing different future paths for the socio-environmental issue in Brazil, projecting and demonstrating the richness and vigour of diverse actors and dissonant practices

História dos animais no Brasil: tradições culturais, historiografia e transformação

This essay aims to present the state of the art of animal studies conducted by historians in Brazil. Sérgio Buarque de Holanda identified a Luso-Brazilian cultural tradition, in which a relationship of extreme unpredictability and anthropocentrism prevailed in relation to the natural world and, consequently, to animals, since the first years of the territory’s colonization. Given the innovative character of some of Sérgio Buarque's approach to animals, and the acknowledged importance of this historian, it is surprising that this aspect was obscured by Brazilian historiography between the 1960s and 2000s. In recent years, animals have invaded the horizon of interest to historians. However, one cannot yet speak of really well established field of animal studies in Brazilian historiography. The conclusion discusses the possible reasons for this gap.Este ensaio visa apresentar o estado da arte dos estudos sobre animais realizados pelos historiadores no Brasil. Sérgio Buarque de Holanda identificou uma tradição cultural luso-brasileira, na qual predominou uma relação de extrema imprevidência e antropocentrismo em relação ao mundo natural e, consequentemente, aos animais, desde os primeiros anos de colonização do território. Frente ao caráter inovador de algumas obras de Sérgio Buarque no tratamento dos animais, e da reconhecida importância desse historiador, é surpreendente que esse aspecto tenha sido obscurecido pela historiografia brasileira entre os anos 1960 e os 2000. Em anos recentes, os animais têm invadido o horizonte de interesse dos historiadores. Não obstante, ainda não se pode falar num campo de estudos sobre animais realmente bem estabelecido na historiografia brasileira. A conclusão discute as possíveis razões dessa lacuna

Vida y Muerte en los Zoológicos

Algunos eventos recientes de muerte de animales en zoológicos de Latinoamérica ejemplifican las polémicas entre administradores/científicos de estas instituciones y activistas de protección animal. En estos momentos de gran tensión, se pueden observar dos posturas básicas, aunque no sean necesariamente excluyentes. Una de ellas surge del pensamiento conservacionista, que privilegia el enfoque sobre poblaciones, sobre especies. Los críticos de los zoológicos, por su parte, articulan acusaciones en torno al destino de cada individuo. Esos enfrentamientos implican desafíos y encrucijadas imprescindibles, tanto para la discusión del bienestar de los animales en su individualidad, como para los dilemas de la conservación de las especies en el planeta. La filosofía de Montaigne sobre la crueldad y la muerte, el pensamiento biológico evolutivo y la perspectiva histórica de los zoológicos son los principales instrumentos teóricos de esta reflexión. En esta arena de disputa en torno a la defensa y crítica del mantenimiento de animales en zoológicos, existe un debate complejo y multifacético sobre los significados de la vida y la muerte, la extinción y la conservación.Some recent animal deaths in zoos in Latin America are exemplary about the controversies between managers/scientists of these institutions and animal protection activists. In times of great stress, one can observe two basic postures, even if one does not necessarily exclude the other. One of them emerges from conservationist thinking, which focuses on populations/ species. Zoo critics, in turn, make their accusations based on the fate of each individual. Such confrontations involve challenges and essential crossroads for both the discussion of animal welfare in their individuality as well as the dilemmas of conservation of the species on the planet. Montaigne's philosophy on death and cruelty, the biological evolutionary thought, and the historical perspective will be the theoretical instruments for this reflection. In this contested terrain of the defense and criticism of the maintenance of animals in zoos, there is a complex and multifaceted debate about the meanings of life and death, extinction and conservation