The construction of civic space

monuments and rituals of memory in republican Natal (1902-1922)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-02672019v27e07

Keywords:

Public Memory, Civic Space, Monuments, Cultural Identity

Abstract

This article analyzes the formation process of civic space in Natal between 1902 and 1922. We seek to comprehend the central role of local historians and of Instituto Histórico e Geográfico do Rio Grande do Norte (Historical and Geographical Institute of Rio Grande do Norte) in the construction of a public republican memory through the assemblage of artifacts, the attribution of new meanings to public sites and the practice of civic rituals. This research aims to understand how the practice of naming and renaming streets and public parks, creating squares, the carving and installation of statues, busts, tombstones, hermas and paintings, the identification of “historical sites” and the construction of places built to house collected relics and “historical objects”, as well as for the historical celebration of noteworthy characters and events that were important when constructing a collective identity in which the historical consciousness should have a critical role.

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Author Biography

  • Helder do Nascimento Viana, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte / Natal, RN, Brasil

    Doutor em História Social pela Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Docente do Departamento de História da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). Membro permanente do Programa de Pós-Graduação em História (PPGH-UFRN).

     

Published

2019-04-05

Issue

Section

Material Culture Studies

How to Cite

VIANA, Helder do Nascimento. The construction of civic space: monuments and rituals of memory in republican Natal (1902-1922). Anais do Museu Paulista: História e Cultura Material, São Paulo, v. 27, p. 1–44, 2019. DOI: 10.1590/1982-02672019v27e07. Disponível em: https://journals.usp.br/anaismp/article/view/138800.. Acesso em: 23 apr. 2025.