A escrita de Capistrano de Abreu em "Capítulos de História Colonial, 1500-1800": a formação da obra entre 1875 e 190

Abstract

Capistrano de Abreu was a Brazilian historian (1853-1927) who sought to break with the historical descriptions and records of the period, which, for the time, constructed Brazilian identity through a literary lens, that is, idealizing national scenarios and figures. In this, Abreu, in constructing his narratives, especially the work entitled *Chapters of Colonial History, 1500-1800*, described events based on historical facts, highlighting groups previously ignored in some narratives of the time. Examples of these groups include Black and Indigenous people. This bibliographical work aims to describe how Abreu's narrative contributed to the construction of national identity, identifying the political and methodological influences on his writing and describing the elaboration and development of his writing on the Brazilian colonial period. This study utilized theoretical support from research by scholars such as Rodrigues (2008), Oliveira (2025), Iglésias (2000), Fiorin (2009), Certeau (1982), among others. However, it was concluded that, in the transition between the 19th and 20th centuries, Capistrano de Abreu's work stood out from others due to its methodology based on facts rather than imagination, thus being a work of real value regarding the construction of Brazilian identity. In a descriptive manner, the work *Capítulos de história colonial, 1500-1800* demonstrates a reality of the time, serving as a point of support for understanding both the past and the historical developments that influence the present.