By ERIK CHICONELLI GOMES*
Considerations on the impact of Harvey J. Kaye's book on Brazilian historiography
The British Marxist Historians, by Harvey J. Kaye, published in 1984, represents a significant milestone in the understanding of the development of social history and the role of British Marxist historians, with a special focus on E.P. Thompson. This book not only analyzes E.P. Thompson's contribution, but also contextualizes his work within a broader tradition that includes prominent figures such as Christopher Hill and Eric Hobsbawm.
The reception of this work in Brazil and its impact on Brazilian historiography deserve a detailed analysis, considering the lasting influence it had on historical studies in the country.
The penetration of The British Marxist Historians in the Brazilian academic context occurred at a time of significant transformation in national historiographical production. The late 1980s and early 1990s were marked by a growing openness to new theoretical and methodological approaches, partly driven by the country's redemocratization process. In this scenario, Harvey J. Kaye's work found fertile ground for discussion and application, offering valuable insights into how the British Marxist tradition could inform and enrich Brazilian historical research.
One of the first Brazilian historians to recognize the importance of The British Marxist Historians was Sidney Chalhoub. In his influential work Visions of Freedom: A History of the Last Decades of Slavery at Court (1990), Chalhoub makes direct reference to the work of Harvey J. Kaye, highlighting how the approach of British Marxist historians, particularly EP Thompson, influenced his own methodology for analyzing the experiences of slaves and freedmen in XNUMXth-century Rio de Janeiro.[I]
Historian Maria Célia Paoli, in her article “Urban workers in the speech of others: time, space and class in Brazilian working-class history” (1984), also demonstrates a clear influence of the tradition of British Marxist historians, although her publication was contemporary to that of Harvey J. Kaye. Maria Célia Paoli emphasizes the importance of considering the agency of workers in the construction of their own history, a central theme in the work of Thompson and other historians analyzed by Harvey J. Kaye.[ii]2
The impact of The British Marxist Historians in Brazilian historiography was not limited to studies on labor and the working class. The work also significantly influenced cultural history and the history of ideas in Brazil. In this context, the work of Marcelo Badaró Mattos deserves to be highlighted. In EP Thompson and the tradition of active criticism of historical materialism (2012), Marcelo Badaró Mattos not only discusses Kaye's work, but also uses it as a starting point for an in-depth analysis of Thompson's contribution to Marxism and historiography in general.[iii]
The contribution of The British Marxist Historians for Brazilian historiography is multifaceted. Firstly, the work helped to consolidate a more nuanced understanding of Marxism as a tool for historical analysis, distancing itself from more dogmatic or economistic interpretations. This was reflected in a new generation of studies that sought to integrate the cultural and subjective dimensions of historical experience into the analysis of economic and social structures.
Furthermore, Harvey J. Kaye’s book contributed to a greater appreciation of history from below, a central concept in the work of Thompson and other British Marxist historians. This approach found particular resonance in the Brazilian context, where historians sought to give voice and agency to historically marginalized groups such as workers, slaves, women, and indigenous populations.
A notable example of the application of this perspective can be found in the work of Silvia Hunold Lara. In Fields of violence: slaves and masters in the captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, 1750-1808 (1988), Silvia Hunold Lara demonstrates a clear influence of the Thompsonian approach, seeking to understand slave relations not only as a system of domination, but also as a field of negotiations and daily resistance.[iv]
Harvey J. Kaye's work also had a significant impact on the way Brazilian historians came to conceive of the relationship between theory and practice in historical research. The emphasis of British Marxist historians on the need for a constant dialogue between empirical evidence and theoretical reflection found an echo in a Brazilian historiography that sought to overcome both narrow empiricism and abstract theoreticism.
In this sense, the work of João José Reis is particularly illustrative. In Slave rebellion in Brazil: the history of the Malê uprising in 1835 (1986), João José Reis demonstrates a remarkable ability in combining meticulous archival research with sophisticated theoretical analysis, clearly influenced by the tradition of British Marxist historians.[v]
the reception of The British Marxist Historians in Brazilian academia, however, it was not exempt from criticism and debate. Some historians questioned the direct applicability of the models and concepts developed in the British context to Brazilian historical reality. This productive debate led to a critical and creative appropriation of the ideas presented by Harvey J. Kaye, resulting in adaptations and reinterpretations that further enriched national historiography.
An example of this process of critical appropriation can be found in the work of Ciro Flamarion Cardoso. In his article “History and Rival Paradigms” (1994), Cardoso discusses the contributions and limitations of the approach of British Marxist historians, including the analyses presented by Harvey J. Kaye, in the broader context of contemporary historiographical debates.[vi]
The influence of The British Marxist Historians was also felt in the training of new generations of Brazilian historians. The work became required reading in many postgraduate history courses, contributing to the dissemination of the ideas and approaches of British Marxist historians among young researchers. This resulted in a proliferation of studies that, in various ways, engage with the questions raised by Harvey J. Kaye and the historians he analyzes.
An example of this influence can be seen in the work of Alexandre Fortes. In his doctoral thesis, later published as a book, We from the fourth district: the working class of Porto Alegre and the Vargas Era” (2004), Alexandre Fortes demonstrates a clear influence of the tradition of British Marxist historians, particularly in his approach to the formation of the working class and in his attention to the everyday experiences of workers.[vii]
It is important to note that the reception of The British Marxist Historians"
in Brazil was not limited to the field of history. The work also had a significant impact on other disciplines of the social sciences, such as sociology and political science. This reflects the interdisciplinary nature of the work of British Marxist historians and its relevance to a broader understanding of social and political processes.
In this context, the work of sociologist Ricardo Antunes deserves mention. In The meanings of work: essay on the affirmation and denial of work (1999), Ricardo Antunes makes extensive use of the ideas of EP Thompson and other British Marxist historians, demonstrating the continuing relevance of these approaches for the analysis of transformations in the contemporary world of work.[viii]
The contribution of The British Marxist Historians for Brazilian historiography is also manifested in the way it helped to promote a deeper dialogue between national and international historiographical production. Harvey J. Kaye's work served as an important point of reference for Brazilian historians seeking to situate their work in a global context of historiographical production, facilitating international exchanges and collaborations.
A notable example of this exchange can be found in the collaboration between the Brazilian historian Emília Viotti da Costa and EP Thompson himself. Although this collaboration preceded the publication of Kaye's book, it illustrates the kind of international dialogue that The British Marxist Historians helped to foster and consolidate Brazilian historiography.[ix]
In short, the reception of The British Marxist Historians Harvey J. Kaye's contribution to Brazilian historiography was marked by a process of critical and creative appropriation. The work not only introduced Brazilian historians to a rich and influential historiographical tradition, but also stimulated important reflections on the practice of history in the Brazilian context. Its impact can be seen in the thematic and methodological diversification of national historiographical production, in the renewed emphasis on the agency of historical subjects, and in the search for a deeper integration between theory and empirical research.
The lasting influence of The British Marxist Historians in Brazilian historiography is a testament to the continuing relevance of the issues raised by British Marxist historians and to the ability of Brazilian historians to adapt and reinterpret these ideas to their own context. In doing so, they have not only enriched national historiography but also contributed to the ongoing development of a global and diverse historiographical tradition.
*Erik Chiconelli Gomes is a postdoctoral fellow at the Faculty of Law at USP.
Reference
KAYE, Harvey J. The British Marxist historians: an introductory analysis. Cambridge, Polity Press, 1984, 316 pages. [https://amzn.to/486KFFK]
REFERENCES
ANTUNES, Ricardo. The Meanings of Work: Essay on the Affirmation and Denial of Work. São Paulo: Boitempo, 1999.
CARDOSO, Ciro Flamarion. History and Rival Paradigms. In: CARDOSO, Ciro Flamarion; VAINFAS, Ronaldo (Org.). Domains of History: Essays on Theory and Methodology. Rio de Janeiro: Campus, 1997.
CHALHOUB, Sydney. Visions of Freedom: A History of the Last Decades of Slavery at Court. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 1990.
STRONG, Alexander. We from the Fourth District: The Porto Alegre Working Class and the Vargas Era. New York: Routledge, 2004.
LARA, Silvia Hunold. Fields of Violence: Slaves and Masters in the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, 1750-1808. Rio de Janeiro: Peace and Land, 1988.
MATTOS, Marcelo Badaro. EP Thompson and the Tradition of Active Criticism of Historical Materialism. Rio de Janeiro: Editora UFRJ, 2012.
PAOLI, Maria Celia. Urban Workers in the Speech of Others: Time, Space and Class in Brazilian Workers’ History. In: LOPES, José Sérgio Leite (Org.). Culture and Worker Identity: Aspects of Working Class Culture. Rio de Janeiro: Marco Zero, 1987.
REIS, Joao Jose. Slave Rebellion in Brazil: The History of the Malê Uprising in 1835. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2003.
VIOTTI DA COSTA, Emilia. Crowns of Glory, Tears of Blood: The Demerara Slave Rebellion of 1823. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 1998.
Notes
[I] CHALHOUB, Sidney. Visions of Freedom: A History of the Last Decades of Slavery at Court (New York: Routledge, 1990), pp. 23-25.
[ii] PAOLI, Maria Celia, “Urban Workers in the Speech of Others: Time, Space and Class in Brazilian Workers’ History,” in Culture and Working Class Identity: Aspects of Working Class Culture, ed. José Sérgio Leite Lopes (Rio de Janeiro: Marco Zero, 1987), pp. 53-101.
[iii] MATTOS, Marcelo Badaro, EP Thompson and the Tradition of Active Criticism of Historical Materialism (Rio de Janeiro: UFRJ Publishing, 2012), pp. 78-82.
[iv] LARA, Silvia Hunold, Fields of Violence: Slaves and Masters in the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, 1750-1808 (Rio de Janeiro: Peace and Land, 1988), pp. 15-18.
[v] KINGS, John Joseph, Slave Rebellion in Brazil: The History of the Malês Uprising in 1835 (New York: Routledge, 2003), pp. 8-12.
[vi] CARDOSO, Ciro Flamarion, “History and Rival Paradigms,” in Domains of History: Essays on Theory and Methodology, eds. Ciro Flamarion Cardoso and Ronaldo Vainfas (Rio de Janeiro: Campus, 1997), pp. 1-23.
[vii] FORTES, Alexander, We from the Fourth District: The Porto Alegre Working Class and the Vargas Era (Caxias do Sul: Educs, 2004), pp. 30-35.
[viii] ANTUNES, Ricardo, The Meanings of Work: Essay on the Affirmation and Denial of Work (São Paulo: Boitempo, 1999), pp. 102-105.
[ix] COSTA, Emilia Viotti da, Crowns of Glory, Tears of Blood: The Demerara Slave Rebellion of 1823 (New York: Routledge, 1998), pp. 13-15.
the earth is round there is thanks to our readers and supporters.
Help us keep this idea going.
CONTRIBUTE
