who published his work Palmares in Uruguay, in 1971and translated it to
Portuguese in 1973. The other version comes from Universities. These studies
don't intend to tell Quilombo's whole history, but investigate him through theme and
chronological articles under the most several interpretative and methodological
lines, attempting to show the silence and the limitation imposed by documentation.
The most quoted works by this version were the article by the Brazilianist Stuart B.
Schwartz and the collection organized by João José dos Reis and Flávio dos
Santos Gomes.
In these works are the purposes that influenced the historiography in the
late of 20th century and collaborated to Zumbi and Quilombo dos Palmares
nowadays image formation. However, it isn't known deeply yet, the circunstances
in which this historiography has become legitimated, which analysis methods and
documents were used. Therefore, it is proposed a study that rebuilt the main basis
and documents of this historiography, aiming to highlight the ways that
historiography used to construct Zumbi´s image, better saying, the general aim of
this work is to supply a map of Zumbi's image construction process through out
history. In order to this, it has been considered the occurrence of these images
chronologically in historiography, beginning in the early of 17th century and
finishing in the middle of 20th century.
The collected sources consider the period of Quilombo's existence from
17th century to the middle of 20th century, when Quilombo dos Palmares was
published by Edson Carneiro in Brazil. An aspect of this document is the inclusion
of themes that it considers, due to the time extension and complexity of Quilombo's
history. The works are from Holland historiography period, from Bandeirantes
epopee, from the slave resistance history in Brazil, from expedition literature, from
general Brazilian history manuals and from Palmares historical recovering.
The selecting criteria sources privileged the most regarding work in
historiography, because in this way, it was possible to check which authors were
responsible for alterations in this historiography, as it can be seen the joining
formation among the authors, and also verify the occurrence of ruptures and
continuities in Zumbi's image.
The period of the work was taken according to these ruptures and
continuities, which appeared along the historiography process, identifying three
main periods. The first one corresponds to the colonial work from 1640 to 1837, in
which there would not be yet a character named Zumbi, but a honored title of
Palmares, which it determined that could have existed several characters named
Zumbi too. In a general view, Quilombo was characterized in this period as the
main enemy of Pernambuco province after Holland expulsion. The second period
corresponds from 1838 to 1900. Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro
Foundation fixed the beginning of this period, because this Institution and its similar
in Pernambuco and Alagoas, were the responsible for the articles and documents
publishing relating to the history of Quilombo dos Palmares, prevailing an image
that invalidated the importance of Quilombo to the society of the 19th century,
briefly regarded among the conquers of the colony troops, or as a fact concerning
to Alagoanos municipal district history and in Northeast area.
In the third period it has glimpsed more significant changes. Zumbi was
recognized as the most important king of Palmares, symbol of the resistance and