Frontier Theory as an Explanatory Tool for Brazilian History: A Viable Construct?

Abstract

When Frederick Jackson Turner delivered his paper "The Signifi cance of the Frontier in American History" at the meeting of the American Historical Association in 1893, he probably had no conception of the enduring impact that it would have on future research not only in the United States, but also throughout the world. Enthusiastically embraced by scholars in the fi rst half of the twentieth century, it was, in the latter half, vehemently criticized, redefi ned, modifi ed, reviled, or totally rejected as an explanatory tool by revisionists. Nevertheless, despite these many objections, the notion that frontiers play a discernable role in historical development continues to inspire young scholars to produce valuable studies that enhance our understanding of nation-state formation. Such is the case with the

Media Responses to Us Corporate and Global Environmentalist Projects in Amazônia, 1928-2000

“…Geographical interpretations in English of the AB have long stressed its status as a frontier, 1 and even a "hollow frontier" (Rausch 2008), seen as a central influence in shaping the status of the BA vis-à-vis European and North American countries. Use of the term frontier in effect denigrated the BA's status as an implicit part of Brazil's national patrimony, tacitly characterizing it as an "unsettled" and thus not a fully claimed area, little more than a locus for Brazil's future territorial expansion.…”