Call for Papers for Thematic Dossiers

Call for Papers for Thematic Dossiers

Almanack announces the opening of a call for papers for three thematic dossiers to be published in 2026.

Papers must be submitted to the journal's system by May 1, 2026, through the following link: https://periodicos.unifesp.br/index.php/alm/about/submissions

 

Civil Wars and International Conflicts in the 19th Century: Human Displacement,

Communications, and Material Provisions

Proposers:

• Kelly Eleutério Machado Oliveira (UFOP);
• Jonas Moreira Vargas (UFPEL);
• Pérola Maria Goldfeder Borges de Castro (UNIFESP)

The 19th century was marked by an intensification of human, communicational, and material flows that had long characterized the dynamics of capital. These movements became more intense and complex in wartime contexts, and the century under consideration was particularly rich in this respect, especially with regard to the Cisplatine War, whose bicentennial is being commemorated in the current year of 2025. In light of the current relevance of this topic in South American historiography, this dossier aims to bring together scholars from various national and international institutions with the goal of discussing: 1) civil wars, in cases where the fighting (and its associated demographic, informational, and material flows) takes place within the borders of the nation-state and involves groups from the same nationality, even if they do not share ethnic, social, and/or legal status; and 2) international conflicts, distinguished by disputes between states, considering issues of sovereignty and diplomatic relations.

 

Contributors will examine the materiality of the flows that characterized the wartime contexts under discussion. In addressing human displacement, the focus will be on the movement of free workers, enslaved individuals, refugees, exiles, etc., and the institutional mechanisms behind these movements—such as subsidized emigration companies, lodging services, and financial, medical, and educational support systems. Regarding communications, contributors are expected to consider not only domestic tariff and regulatory arrangements but also the bilateral agreements to which the country was subject, and the impact of both civil and international wars on these two complementary levels of postal flow organization. It is also important to note that, by the mid-19th century, communications underwent a progressive process of "postal globalization" (Laborie, 2017), which culminated in the founding of the Universal Postal Union in 1874. Finally, the dossier will also highlight material provisions related to regional and/or international markets for food, military equipment, capital/credit, and other resources, which were often positively impacted by war.

 

Fiscal policy as a “frontier territory” – 18th and 19th centuries

Proposers:

• Cláudia Chaves – UFOP
• Daiane de Souza Alves – UERJ

 

The purpose of this dossier is to bring together research dedicated to analyzing the role of taxation in the process of territorial organization. As is well known, fiscal policy, as a “frontier territory,” provides a privileged angle for understanding the formation of the tax collection structures of modern empires and nation states and the conflicts inherent in their constitution. Less tied to the bureaucratic and even redistributive principle of the second half of the 19th century, the organization of tax systems between the 18th and 19th centuries served as a means of maintenance and/or expansion through wars and military mobilization in defense of sovereignties. The resources derived from taxes, duties, and property rights were a fundamental means of enabling the construction and maintenance of states and their territories. From the structural and patrimonial model, when the state exploits its domains and concession rights, to its transformation into a fiscal state, when the tax base comes from the capacity to impose taxes on its taxpayers, such mechanisms do not merely reveal the historical and far from linear passage of processes that unfolded in the transition to capitalism and liberal policies. Rather, they reflect the conflicts and negotiations that involved the constitution of the exercise of political legitimacy and its action on social organisms. Studies on the fiscal system in Brazil and the Americas show us both the coexistence of these forms of revenue collection and the weight of political struggles around the organization of territories, whether colonial or national. The so-called fiscal state, as seen from its crisis in the early 20th century by Joseph Schumpeter, demonstrated the limits of capacity and management in the imbalance between sources of revenue and the continuous increase in public spending. The key to understanding this almost permanent dilemma in the history of taxation has been sought in the interpretive keys of politics and the systems of legitimization of tax mechanisms. Not only legitimate, but necessary as guarantors of social order, sovereignty, representation, and also defenses against external threats. Thus, studies on the fiscal system and territorial policies cover political and social conflicts, the constitution of bureaucratic institutions, the control of territories, the legitimization of taxes, and the confrontation of political and economic crises.

 

Bicentenary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Brazil and Colombia: Actors, Themes, and Scenarios in the Long Nineteenth Century

Proposers:

• Daniel Rojas, Grenoble Alpes University, ILCEA4, EA7365.
• Gabriel Passetti, Fluminense Federal University, Strategic Defense and Security Studies.

The commemoration, in 2027, of the bicentennial of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Brazil and Colombia offers a privileged opportunity to reflect on the ties that have connected the two countries over two centuries of shared history.

If the international historiography of Latin America has emphasized the study of Brazil’s insertion into the international system through its ties with England, the continental European powers, or the United States, the analysis of its relations with other South American countries significantly enriches our understanding of its foreign policy. By privileging ties with the great powers of the nineteenth century, many studies have relegated regional dynamics to the background, despite their essential role in consolidating the international presence of imperial Brazil and defining its strategic interests on the continent. Bilateral agreements, diplomatic missions, border disputes, military alliances, and commercial exchanges with its South American neighbors were equally central to the construction of an active and autonomous diplomacy in the post-independence context.

In Colombia, research has traditionally focused on ties with the United States and certain European powers, as well as with Venezuela, Panama, and the Andean republics — particularly Ecuador and Peru. The history of the Amazon region remained for a long time an unexplored field, which only recently has begun to open up to more systematic investigations. Relations with imperial Brazil, although consistent and marked by significant episodes, have often been relegated to the background, partly due to the lack of comparative studies and the predominance of a national historical narrative or of a historiography centered on the Atlantic space. However, by reconstructing the political, diplomatic, commercial, and cultural exchanges between Brazil and Colombia throughout the nineteenth century, it becomes possible to reveal the existence of a dense network of interactions that went beyond formal borders and influenced both national trajectories and the regional configurations of the South American international system.

The range of topics to be explored is broad: negotiations to delimit an uncertain Amazonian frontier; disputes and agreements over free navigation on the Amazon River; the circulation of people and ideas; the establishment of consular networks; mutual perceptions in the public sphere; the exchange of objects for natural history collections; tensions inherent to a still-forming international system; the participation of Colombians/Neogranadines and Brazilians in international meetings and diplomatic events; the impact of slavery on inter-American relations; as well as the ways in which both countries engaged with the transformations of international law throughout the nineteenth century — particularly in relation to the recognition of sovereignties, neutrality norms, conflict mediation, and the codification of bilateral and multilateral treaties.

Special attention will also be paid to the institutionalization and professionalization of diplomacy in both countries, marked by the emergence of permanent diplomatic careers, the creation of training institutions for diplomats, and the circulation of legal and doctrinal models of European origin adapted to Latin American contexts. Analyzing the profiles, trajectories, and practices of diplomatic agents — both official and informal — opens a promising avenue for understanding the personal, family, and intellectual networks that sustained bilateral relations. These elements, among others, reveal the complexity and density of Brazilian-Colombian relations in a nineteenth century that was anything but peripheral in the broader transformations of the modern international system.

The aim of this dossier is to bring together original research articles that explore, from a historical perspective, the actors, themes, and scenarios that shaped Brazilian-Colombian relations during the long nineteenth century. We will favor contributions from political, diplomatic, economic, and transnational history, without excluding works from social or cultural history that engage with the proposed international questions. The rigorous use of primary sources will be a key criterion for article selection.

The dossier will be structured around three main axes:

The actors of the bilateral relationship, including diplomats, merchants, military personnel, missionaries, travelers, Indigenous populations, and other intermediaries involved in building the ties between the two countries.
The main themes of interaction, such as border delimitation, river navigation, slavery, trade treaties, the circulation of people and ideas, or strategies of regional balance.

The scenarios in which these relations developed: from imperial and republican capitals to the Amazonian borderlands; Atlantic and river ports; South American, hemispheric, or global diplomatic conferences; as well as spaces of transit and information exchange, such as the Isthmus of Panama, missionary routes, and diplomatic sociability circles in various parts of the world.