Muito antes do Brasil, o Pau-Brasil: Circulação de plantas na América Portuguesa na primeira metade do século XVI.

Abstract

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest after 1500 was the scene o f an environmental drama that surpassed the dense forest and reached us through official documentation. In this plot, man and nature star in various relationships - of destruction, but also of conservation and planning. The symbol tree of the nation is also the tree that represents the widespread destruction of our forests. Thus, the present work dialogues with the research areas of Environmental History, Science and Plant Circulation. From the connected histories approach - thought primarily from Indian historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam, but also from Serge Gruzinskfs reflections, we analyze the webs and historical connections made through the cutting, shipping and trade of Pau Brazil, with the objective o f understanding the different social and environmental relations between different ethnic groups. To do so, we reflect on the concepts of landscape and memory, plant circulation and imperiais connections from the perspective of Simon Schama, Lorelai Kury and João Fragoso, respectively. In addition, throughout the chapters we deal with topics such as the role o f redwood in various areas of study, the theme of redwood in Brazilian historiography, and the relationship between nature and society. Finally, we consider that there is more than sap in the sapwood, and brasilina at the heart of the redwood - there is history (s). They are stories that represent dialogues; dialogues that often go beyond human history itself.