Brazil: History

This was the first of the eight primary source guides resulting from Projeto Resgate. This guide is particularly relevant for the colonial period of Dutch domination in Brazil, from 1630 to 1654. The guide completes and expands previous efforts of recovering Brazilian historical documentation held in Holland. The guide covers mainly the Public Dutch Archives from which three are especially relevant for research on Brazil: the General Archive of the State at The Hague (Algemeen Rijksarchief - ARA); the Municipal Archive of Amsterdam (Gemeente Archief) ; the Archive of the Royal House at The Hague (Koninklijk Huisarchief). Another relevant collection is the Leiden University Library (Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden). An important highlight from this guide is that the General Archive of the State - ARA includes a series about the Companhia das Indias Ocidentais and of the Estados-Gerais, which promoted and led the colonial project in Brazil. This book includes three introductory essays, and is divided into three sections, each having differing characteristics. The first section is arranged by provenance; it is a guide to the Dutch Archives prepared exclusively for the Projeto Resgate and this publication. The second section is a reprint one of the earliest initiatives in collecting Brazilian documentation in the Netherlands, "Relatorios de Pesquisa" (1886) by Jose Hygino Duarte Pereira; it is arranged by provenance and includes a narrative description of materials; some materials are arranged chronologically. The third section is a reprint from the compilation "Relatorios de Pesquisa. A universidade do Recife e a Pesquisa Historica" by Jose Antonio Gonsalves de Mello (1957), which was the most recent guide of sources prior to this 2001 publication from the Projeto Resgate; it also includes a narrative description of materials, and some materials are listed chronologically.

This guide to Brazilian primary sources stored in France was the second guide published by the Projeto Resgate. This guide, covering the 17th and 18th centuries, expands the 1975 work "Catálogo de Documentos Referentes ao Brasil" by Cícero Dias and published by Brazil's Ministry of International Affairs. It collects materials from 40 French archives scattered throughout the country, including National and Provincial archives, as well as other archives from public institutions, public and private libraries, religious communities and even families. Primary sources listed in this guide include materials like diplomatic correspondence, commercial transactions, military projects, slave trade documents, civil records, religious missions, diaries, and maps among others. The guide is arranged by provenance and archival series; it includes an introductory essay about historic French-Brazilian relations, a methodological description, and an index by names, topics and material type. It also provides information about access to all the archives listed.

This guide also integrates Projeto Resgate for recovering and organizing historical documentation held outside of Brazil. However, unlike the other guides that address European archives, the present guide lists materials regarding diplomatic relations between Brazil, the United States, and the United Kingdom between the 19th and 20th centuries (until the 1950s). It covers diverse materials from manuscripts to modern formats such as microfilms, photographs, and electronic content. The institutions that formed part of this project include the National Archives and Administrative Records, presidential libraries, and other relevant, public and private libraries at the Library of Congress and the Benson Latin American Collection. The publication is arranged by provenance and chronologically, and contains an introductory essay, and appendixes expand the resources provided. It also offers general information about accessing all archives and libraries listed.

This guide, part of the Projeto Resgate, was developed using a previous guide about the Archivo General de las Indias at Seville as a reference, which was published in 1966 by João Cabral de Mello Neto. It expands, corrects, and organizes its contents. It covers unpublished items from different archives and institutions including the National General Archive of Spain, the Archives of the Central Administration, the Archives of the Autonomous Administration, Military Archives, Ecclesiastical Archives, Libraries with primary sources, Archives from the Nobility, Cultural Institutions and special foundations. The guide contains over 300 items and is arranged by the sources' provenance and chronologically. It also includes onomastic and subject indexes, as well as an introductory essay.

Also, as part of the Projeto Resgate, this guide lists primary sources from Brazil's colonial period that are held in Italian archives and other institutions, specifically covering material from the 16th century through 1850. Institutions covered include archives from Italian states, archives and preservation institutions located in Rome (for example, the National Library of Rome), religious archives (including communities like the Dominicans, Jesuits, Franciscans, and others), pontifical archives and other religious institutions. The guide is arranged by the material's provenance and chronologically, and includes six introductory essays, a methodological introduction, a glossary, and three appendixes regarding religious archives outside of Rome, cartography and bibliography.