Commemorating the nation: the centenary of Brazil’s independence and the construction of Rio Grande do Norte’s place in the national memory

Abstract

On September 7, 1922, Brazil commemorated the centenary of its independence. In various corners of the country, hymns were played, speeches were given, events were organized with the aim of remembering the national past. Some studies were dedicated to the questioning of the commemorations around the centenary of the Independence of Brazil, especially in the Rio-São Paulo axis. In order to contribute to the debate, this article aims to analyze the plot of the commemoration of the centenary of Brazil’s the Independence in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, more specifically in its capital, Natal, identifying the political agencies and the constructions of narratives about the nation’s and the state’s past. In order to carry out this work, several historical sources of a varied nature were examined, such as official documents, journals of Historical Institutes, official speeches, among others. These historical documents were submitted to a historiographic analysis, identifying the conditions of possibility of the mentioned sources, as well as problematizing the discourses and meanings produced by their interlocutors. Concluding, it was found that the commemoration of Brazil’s Independence in Rio Grande do Norte was an agency of the state government and the members of the Instituto Histórico e Geográfico do Rio Grande do Norte, interested in building a place for the state in the national memory.