Opinião pública como força política no Brasil: uma análise a partir dos conceitos de público e publicidade (1820-1830)

Abstract

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century the symbolic universe of the Old Regime gradually disintegrates in the face of new conceptions of man, politics and society. The analysis of political concepts employed by historical and social actors during this period appears as a prime task to understand the processes of redefinition, permanence and novelty. In the brazilian territory, from the 1820s and the effective entrance of liberal and constitutional ideals, such amendments become more evident, such as the emergence of the concept of public opinion as a political force, capable of legitimizing, guide, justify and limit the actions of rulers. The objective of this work is to seek an explanation for the emergence of public opinion. It is believed that, on the one hand, the presence of this concept is new in the political reality of the Empire, on the other, has a structure of meaning that can be investigated through the role that the concepts of public and publicity played in previous political discourse. From the theoretical framework of the history of concepts (Begriffsgeschichte) I try to analyze the main changes in the sense of public and publicity that have made possible the emergence of the concept of public opinion as a political force in Brazil.