FINEP Board Visits the FGV CPDOC Archive House
The Archive House of the School of Social Sciences at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV CPDOC) welcomed representatives from the Brazilian Funding Authority for Studies and Projects (FINEP) on the morning of January 23. In attendance were Elias Ramos, Director of Innovation and Acting President; Carlos Aragão, Director of Scientific and Technological Development; Janaína Prevot, Director of Administration; and Verônica Novaes, Acting Superintendent of the Logistics Division and Manager of the Administrative Services Department. The FINEP delegation toured the archive, which holds the largest collection of personal papers from public figures in Brazil.
During the visit, FGV CPDOC researchers, accompanied by members of the FGV Research and Innovation Network, engaged in discussions with FINEP representatives about the importance of preserving and documenting Brazil’s history and making these materials accessible to the public.
Among the collections presented, researchers showcased part of the records from the project Indigenous Documentary Heritage: A Collaborative Effort Between FGV CPDOC and the Apinajé People. The project aims to establish a historical and cultural heritage that reinforces the historical, social, and personal significance of the Apinajé people.
(Finep directors Carlos Aragão and Elias de Souza talking with FGV CPDOC Director and Coordinator Celso Castro and Carolina Alves about the importance of preserving Brazil’s history. Photo: Julia Felix – FGV Research and Innovation Office)
FGV CPDOC Projects Funded by FINEP
During the visit, FGV researchers recalled several projects funded by FINEP focused on preserving the country’s memory, such as the History of Science in Brazil Program, carried out between 1975 and 1978.
According to Celso Castro, Director of the School of Social Sciences, this project made a significant contribution to scientific development in Brazil:
“Key figures in Brazil’s scientific sector, such as Carlos Chagas Filho, Darcy Ribeiro, and José Leite Lopes, gave interviews that are now freely available to the public,” said Castro. These and other interviews can be accessed at this link.
Other notable projects within the History of Science in Brazil Program funded by FINEP include: 1964 and the Military Regime; Democracy and the Armed Forces in the New Republic; FINEP: 30 Years of Projects for Brazil; The Military and the Amazon: Development, National Sovereignty, and New Strategic Scenarios; and Historical and Strategic Memory of Nuclear Energy in Brazil.
The FINEP-funded project is part of the Oral History Program, which is dedicated to producing historical sources through interviews, aiming to deepen the understanding of the past. “This collection includes biographical interviews, as well as memoirs and autobiographies, which help us understand how individuals experienced and interpreted events, situations, and ways of life within a group or society at large,” the researchers explained.
The Oral History Program includes more than 2,500 interviews available in various formats: audio, video, and transcribed text. Among the records are the histories of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), the Black Movement in Brazil, and Brazilian football players. To learn more about the Oral History project, click here.
While the FINEP team toured the FGV CPDOC archive, researchers also highlighted another FINEP-funded project: the Brazilian Historical-Biographical Dictionary (DHBB), which summarizes the careers of Brazilian politicians during their time in public life at the federal level, from 1930 to the present.
According to Carolina Alves, FGV CPDOC’s Documentation Coordinator, the visit by the FINEP team to the Archive House reinforces the historical bond between the two institutions. “This partnership has been fundamental to the development of research and the preservation of historical memory, reaffirming both institutions’ commitment to advancing knowledge in Brazil,” said Alves.
Elias Ramos, Director of Innovation and Acting President of FINEP, emphasized the importance of projects that preserve the country’s history:
“FGV CPDOC’s Archive House does outstanding work in preserving the memory of Brazilian science, providing public access to a collection that includes major scientific figures, politicians, and Indigenous communities. Understanding the history of Brazilian science and its key players is essential for addressing current and future challenges and for connecting science with technological innovation and the development of a modern, sustainable, and competitive industry that improves people’s quality of life.”
Archive House
Inaugurated in 2016, the Archive House is located in the Botafogo neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro and houses hundreds of personal document collections, as well as oral testimonies from individuals with prominent roles in Brazilian public life. The archive includes around 240 private and personal collections, totaling an estimated 2 million textual, photographic, audio, and audiovisual documents. It also features a significant oral history collection with 2,500 interviews, totaling approximately 7,800 hours of recordings.
Visit the Archive House website.
(FGV and FINEP teams at Casa Acervo. Photo: Gabriel Cardoso – FGV CPDOC)