The autopsy as a resource for the writing of history

the value of visuality in Brazilian historiography during the nineteenth century

Abstract

It’s well known that autopsy, conceived as the act of seeing for oneself, according to François Hartog, was a fundamental device of classical historiography. But it has not ceased to participate in the development of historical
knowledge in modern times. It is certain, however, that the assumptions that guided this procedure have undergone profound changes. The aim of this paper is to investigate the status of autopsy as an epistemological resource for writing history in nineteenth-century Brazil. To this end, we will investigate a variety of texts, including both works of scholarly criticism and prescriptive texts on writing history published in the period. In this paper, the modern autopsy is compared with its ancient version and examined through the notion of historical distance. This approach allows us to indicate the multiple uses of autopsy in the modern period: in addition to legitimizing historiographical works, autopsy can be understood as a form of mediation between the historian, the temporalities, the territory portrayed, and the historical sources used in the reconstruction of the past.