A Província de Sergipe retratada na Imprensa da Corte (1831-1840)

Abstract

This article analyzes the representation of the province of Sergipe in the press of the Court of Rio de Janeiro during the Regency period (1831–1840). The study is grounded in New Political History and the history of written culture, utilizing René Rémond's concepts of "the political" and Roger Chartier's notion of "representation" to understand newspapers not merely as sources of information, but as arenas for dispute and the construction of social realities. The research maps mentions of the province in the periodicals Sete d’Abril (moderate liberal orientation) and Diário do Rio de Janeiro (informative and conservative profile), investigating how Sergipe—a unit recently emancipated from Bahia—was made visible in the public debate of the imperial capital. The methodology consisted of a quanti-qualitative survey in the Digital Newspaper Library of the National Library of Brazil, followed by systematic cataloging using Zotero software. Preliminary results indicate that Sergipe's image at the Court was shaped by thematic axes involving public administration, local power struggles—such as the Santo Amaro Revolt and the actions of the "Rapinas" and "Camundongos" parties—and the dynamics of the sugar economy. The study concludes that the press in Rio de Janeiro acted as a key element in integrating Sergipe into the national political landscape, filtering local tensions through the lens of maintaining order and the unity of the Empire.