Buscando sentido no caos: a gestão do patrimônio documental na administração pública do Amazonas durante a Primeira República

Abstract

This research investigates the management of documentary heritage in the public administration of Amazonas during the First Republic (1889–1930), focusing on the administrative structure, the agents involved, and the practices of organization and preservation of documents. The study seeks to understand how the archival practices of the time influenced the conservation and accessibility of state-produced documents, contributing to public administration, citizens’ claims to rights, and the construction of the social and historical identity of Amazonas. Document management during this period was characterized by instability and discontinuities, marked by pragmatic decisions aimed at the immediate needs of the administration, without a consolidated theoretical-methodological foundation. In this context, the research adopts the metaphor of "seeking meaning in chaos" to illustrate the absence of a systematic document management policy and the constant tension between organization and disorder, reflecting the perception that there was no structured concern for documentary heritage. The relevance of this research lies in the need to understand the evolution of archival practices and the role of archivists, contextualizing public administration within the process of consolidating the federalist republican model. To this end, the study employs the approach of Archival History, combined with Administrative History, to examine institutions, collections, and the reconstruction of documentary management models and structures. The research follows a qualitative methodology, based on document analysis of official sources, such as government messages and reports, as well as news published in the press at the time. The findings indicate that, despite the recognition of the importance of document management and preservation, the implementation of these practices was hindered by political and socioeconomic factors. Furthermore, initiatives were strongly influenced by intellectuals and politicians in Amazonas, whose disputes over the role of archives in public administration and society led to conflicts regarding their organization, accessibility, and function. As a result, documentary structures were frequently reconfigured, reflecting a scenario of instability and continuous adaptation, where document management fluctuated between attempts at organization and the predominance of empirical and fragmented practices.