‘Bando de ideias novas”. Legal journalism, the circulation of ideas, and sociability networks between Recife and Bahia

Abstract

The article analyzes the context of epistemological innovation in Brazil in the shift to modernity by means of the experience of the Escola do Recife [School of Recife], while simultaneously reconstructing its sphere of influence based on the sociability networks established by its intellectuals. In light of the fervent circulation of ideas in the final decades of the Brazilian Empire and early days of the Republic and the shaping of a situation of crisis that would close one and open another, we reflect on the Escola do Recife’s role, both in terms of the academic field of Recife Faculty of Law and the scope of its regional influences. The intellectual debates in Brazil at this particular moment in time must be captured not only in terms of the ideas exhibited, but also within the framework of social relations in which the ideas circulated. The sociability networks established by the intellectuals at the Escola do Recife will be considered by studying the relevant legal journalism, with the Revista Acadêmica da Faculdade de Direito do Recife [Academic Journal of Recife Faculty of Law] our source, allowing us to observe its sphere of influence, particularly in the forming of the Faculdade Livre de Direito da Bahia [Bahia Free Faculty of Law] and its academic journal.