PhD thesis defence by Augusto Castanho da Maia Petter
This thesis explores the 1876-77 journey abroad of Dom Pedro II, the Emperor of Brazil, and its symbolic meaning(s) for the institution of monarchy in the period. It focuses on the aesthetical and political connotations of Dom Pedro's re-presentations worldwide to understand how each context helped to produce his multifaceted identity as a progressive and civilised ruler. This thesis goes beyond the nation-centred historiography by posing the emperor’s travels in a global framework of monarchies and travelling royals. In doing so, mainly through the lens of the press, it is possible to unveil the place occupied by the Brazilian Empire into the world-picture of the Eurocentric nineteenth century.
Dom Pedro II’s practice of visiting institutions that materialised and displayed progress (museums, universities, factories, and so on) attracted the attention of the international press, which took part in the fashioning and disseminating of that image. Moreover, by moving primarily within a milieu of scholars and intellectuals rather than in courtly circles, the emperor revealed his aversion to pompous royal ceremonies. This personal preference led to the adoption of novel political rituals which would take place in institutions of progress.
Over the course of his fourteen-month, Dom Pedro's presence at global events shaped his identity and political outlook. Of the occasions of global significance that he attended, we can count The Centennial Exposition of Philadelphia in the USA, The Premier of the Bayreuth Theatre in Germany, and the 3rd edition of the International Congress of Orientalists of Saint Petersburg in the Russian Empire, and the Caxton Celebration of 1877, in England. Thus, this research addressed the ubiquitous trait of the emperor’s presence – based on the acts of seeing and being seen - during his travels.
Finally, by focusing on Dom Pedro's gaze, as well as the public gaze that was placed on him, this thesis sheds new light on the monarchic institution, its politics of display, and the role of a peripheral monarch in the global imperial history of the nineteenth-century.