Culturas científicas sobre os oceanos na historiografia das ciências no Brasil

Abstract

This article mentions some initiatives related to the construction of scientific cultures about the oceans in Brazil, from the midi19th century to the first half of the 20th century. It characterizes oceans as spaces of knowledge production, addressing how the oceans, with its waters, biodiversity, islands, and depths, became specific research objects. In these processes, agents and agencies were forged in the context of complex interdisciplinary scientific fields, which were modified both internationally and in Brazilian institutions. Dialoguing with well-known authors of the History of Sciences, the article is organized in intersecting subthemes, such as ocean expeditions, publications, and institutions. It concludes highlighting the need for historiographical reflection on the current global undertakings to explore the mineral resources of the sea, especially in the years between 2021 and 2030, in which the UN celebrates the Decade of Ocean Sciences.