Amazonian evolutionism: Alfred Russel Wallace’s perceptions on the geographical distribution of Brazilian species (1848-1852)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30612/rehr.v21i39.19073

Keywords:

Alfred Russel Wallace. Natural History. Geographical Distribution. 19th Century. Northern Brazil.

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the observations on the geographical distribution of animals and plants based on the writings of the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) during his four-year stay in the northern region of Brazil, between 1848 and 1852. In order to study the proposed theme, we prioritized an interdisciplinary approach between documentary sources, dealing with different theoretical references centered on the History of Science. In this sense, we intend to adopt a methodology based on multiple styles of bibliographic and documentary sources, such as the naturalist's own travel report, letters, his later publications, etc. Based on this premise, this article aims to demonstrate the contributions of Wallace's geographical distribution to Natural History, as well as the way in which these observations later led him to develop the Theory of Evolution.

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Author Biographies

Lucas Cairê Gonçalves, Universidade Estadual de Maringá

Mestre e doutorando no Programa de Pós-graduação em História - UEM

Christian Fausto Moraes dos Santos, Universidade Estadual de Maringá

Post-doctorate in History of Science from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas de Barcelona (CSIC) in 2015. He is currently is an associate professor at the State University of Maringá, working on the undergraduate Masters and Doctorate in History.

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Published

02/05/2025

How to Cite

Gonçalves, L. C., & Santos, C. F. M. dos. (2025). Amazonian evolutionism: Alfred Russel Wallace’s perceptions on the geographical distribution of Brazilian species (1848-1852) . Revista Eletrônica História Em Reflexão, 21(39), 103–127. https://doi.org/10.30612/rehr.v21i39.19073