"Was It Hatched in Syracuse?” Engineers, Agronomists, and the Making of a Transnational Brazilian Elite, 1868–90

This paper examines a cohort of Brazilian students, primarily from São Paulo elite coffee sector, who sought technical degrees at North American universities in the latter decades of the 19th century.  Matriculating primarily at Cornell and Syracuse Universities, these young men published Portuguese-language newspapers, using print media to forge a sense of community among Brazilians living in the United States and at home.  They also reflected upon how their exposure to U.S.-based technology, innovation, pedagogical approaches and social reforms might be adapted to Brazilian society.   Many of these students went on to work for the Secretariat of Agriculture, Commerce, and Public Works in São Paulo or in the private sector in railways, utilities, and the agricultural sector. 

Of particular interest for this presentation is the monthly, Aurora Brasileira, a journal dedicated to “engineering, mechanics, science, arts, agriculture, and manufacturing.” edited by José Custodio Alves de Lima in Syracuse, NY, from 1875-1878.  His paper promoted technical innovation, particularly in the agrarian sector, and suggested how modernization could ameliorate Brazilian social issues, such as the use of slave labor.  This presentation will also attempt to determine how the atmosphere of social and political reform, then prevalent in central New York, influenced the political orientation of Paulista students like Alves de Lima upon returning to Brazil.