Navegando em mares ilustrados: ciência, política e discurso colonial na expedição Malaspina-Bustamante (1789-1794)

Abstract

This work intends to investigate the trajectory of the report written by Alejandro Malaspina after he concludes his expedition, which took course during 1789-1794. Despite having been written since 1789 until 1796, the report would remain unpublished until 1885 due to political plots in which Malaspina took part after his triumphal return to Spain. We propose to study the different contexts that integrate the report, such as the tensions and relationships between science, politics and colonial speech during the 18th and 19th centuries. This study has been split into three sections: first we present the context previous to the expedition, in which Malaspina created the foundations of his political and scientific thought as well as the terms in which he would formulate his own speech. The second period corresponds to the years in which the expedition took place, that is, between 1789 and 1794 - here we shall study the context in which the report was written, as well as the evaluation of the Spanish colonies and politics made by the Italian captain. Last but not least, we will analyze the context of publication in the late 19th century, trying to comprehend the different readings made by different reader communities and the tensions and coercions they suffered due to the publication of the report in 1885.