Colonização agrária no Brasil Central: fontes inéditas sobre as pesquisas de campo de Henry Bruman em Goiás, na década de 1950

ABSTRACT

This article takes as its goal the geographer Henry Bruman’s contributions to studies of colonization in pioneer zones of Brazil, particularly the field research he conducted in the state of Goiás during the early 1950s. Our research is based on the theoretical and methodological pillars of historical geography and environmental history through the analysis of widely differing primary and secondary sources. Among the material researched, we highlight field notes, correspondence, photographs, and other records made by Bruman of the Goiás frontier. Our research demonstrates the intellectual influence of the Berkeley School in South America, as well as Bruman’s other academic connections that guided his studies. Taken together, these constitute sources of exceptional importance for understanding national and foreign colonization processes in Central Brazil.

Keywords:
Henry Bruman; colonization; Goiás; agricultural frontier; Central Brazil