The Instituto do Ceara and the writing of the history of the Abolition of Slavery

The following work aims to analyze the shaping of the Brazilian state of Ceara's intellectuals from the end of the nineteenth century to the early decades of the twentieth century, as well as the group's sociability and activity networks, mainly in terms of the writing of history and the building of a regional identity for the state. Among other hubs of sociability, we highlight the men's activities at the Instituto do Ceara (created in 1897) and the publication of their ideas in the Institute Journal. We emphasize several aspects of the debate on the state's regional identity, such as drought and the supposedly special character of the locals, as well as the Abolitionist Movement, to have culminated in the release of the province's slaves in 1884. Ceara's pioneering position in the abolition of slavery was consolidated by the Institute, becoming a major milestone in a process to have shaped its identity by associating memory and history in its gaze toward the past.