Positivism and Evolutionism in Flávio de Barros’s Photographs of the Canudos War

Russell White 2023. Positivism and Evolutionism in Flávio de Barros’s Photographs of the Canudos War. Journal of Iberian and Latin American Research. 29 (1), pp. 96-115. https://doi.org/10.1080/13260219.2023.2218071

TitlePositivism and Evolutionism in Flávio de Barros’s Photographs of the Canudos War
TypeJournal article
AuthorsRussell White
Abstract

The Canudos War was a pivotal moment in the early years of the Brazilian republic. The events that culminated in the destruction of the settlement of Canudos left an indelible mark on the country’s history. Canudos’s prominence within Brazilian history can be partly explained by the fact that it is the subject of Euclides da Cunha’s Os sertões (1902), the first edition of which included three photographs taken by Flávio de Barros. De Barros’s photographs of Canudos have received less attention than Da Cunha’s book. This article explores the way in which De Barros’s images work as a visual accompaniment to Os sertões. They speak to the same positivist and evolutionist theories that were prominent at the time. While the photographs presented an official narrative of the conflict, they came to symbolize the cruelty of war and engendered sympathy for the inhabitants of Conselheiro’s settlement.

KEYWORDS: Canudos WarphotographyFlavio de Barrospositivism

JournalJournal of Iberian and Latin American Research
Journal citation29 (1), pp. 96-115
ISSN1326-0219
2151-9668
Year2023
PublisherTaylor & Francis
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/13260219.2023.2218071
Web address (URL)https://doi.org/10.1080/13260219.2023.2218071
Publication dates
Published02 Jan 2023

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