Paradoxes Of Modernity: Modernization Of The Portuguese Court In Brazil

Development, globalization, modernization: all terms used to describe the progression and growth of a country. For those countries who were once colonies of Europe, this modernization period proves particularly interesting. In a Brazilian context, the growth and progression throughout the periods leading up to, and following, independence prove to be some of the most crucial in regards to reformation throughout the country. The arrival of the Portuguese Court in 1807 brought a speedy modernization unlike that of Brazil’s other Latin American counterparts. Due to European immigration, within just a few years the city had boomed into an economic center, with social expansion and cultural changes. “It is conventionally estimated that, within
In the article “Paradoxes of Modernity,” Abreu and Martins detail some of the spatial changes that took place. “The physical boundaries began to expand rapidly . . . the cultural life of the city underwent significant changes” (pg. 534). Likewise, “the spaces of the city were reorganized to fit a new model of urban society . . . the Price Regent created an Academy of Arts . . . the French style was also applied to the design of new buildings” (pg. 544). Yet, the more significant reforms and implications were not so superficial and
After many slaves had been freed, they fought to find work in “lower-class” professions such as clerks, merchants, tailors, and tavern owners and “most faced discrimination due to their profession” (Karasch, pg. 70). Due to an incredible spike in real estate prices following the arrival of the Portuguese Court, lower-class merchants were driven out of main-thoroughfares - another seemingly negative aspect that had positive implications in the end (Martins and Abreu, pg. 539). Because they were driven out of the central public spaces due to reformation, these people groups were forced to find other areas of the city to work. “In their efforts to transform a colonial town into an imperial city, the Rio authorities gave incentives to the settlement of a new area adjacent to the city” (pg. 534). As the city expanded and the lower-class fought to find cheap real estate, new communities were formed. Groups of people who shared a similar identity, for example, freed slaves or merchants, found refuge in communities together. Over time, this created a diversity of markets and economic centers, all operating within the great economic center that was, and is Rio de Janeiro. We still see these markets and communities in the present day, and they have added great cultural value to the