ESSAY ON THE IDEA OF "CENTRALIZATION" IN THE STUDIES ON THE IMPERIAL BRAZILIAN PERIOD

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to make a historiographic essay about the idea of "centralization" present in the works of important authors who study Brazil empire. In order to systematize the way in which social relations and the construction of the state are placed in Brazilian imperial history, we will make some dialogues, based mainly on Carvalho (1996) and Dolhnikoff (2005). In general, we will see that, in one case or another, the historiographical narrative focuses on the documentation and debate that comes from the central government and the activities of the elite in Rio de Janeiro, even with the appearance of differentiated readings, sometimes hanging over the character center of imperial power, now for provincial autonomy.