Os povos da Amazônia e as teorias raciais no relato do viajante Alfred Russel Wallace (1848-1852)

Abstract

The principle of this work is to analyze, through the account of the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, the relations established by the traveler with the racial theories of the eighteenth century in his narratives about the peoples of the Amazon in the nineteenth century. In this way, the aim is to emphasize the relations between the European and the "non-European", focusing on understanding aspects of the different peoples of this region mentioned in the work of the naturalist. Cultural and festive elements, experiences and aspects of daily life are highlighted, as well as the traveler's own vision about the "racial" composition of the region in that period. The work is based on a historiographic discussion that understands and establishes the lines of reasoning about the stereotypes built at that time, as well as the traveler's vision about the places where he passed and the experiences he lived. In a territory diversified in human, geographic, cultural and social terms, Wallace travels through countless villages, towns, rivers and spaces of the Amazon, presenting elements of the interactions between man and nature.