Darwinism and race in Feliciano Pinheiro de Bittencourt

Abstract

During the years of 1870 and 1880, the theory of Darwinism was widely propagated in the Popular Conferences of Glória. These conferences were known as public spaces for the diffusion of scientific debates in Rio de Janeiro. Throughout the many discussions from the Conferences, several defenders and detractors of Darwinism expressed their provocative views on the theory. Among those who were opposed to the Darwinian paradigm, I highlight the thoughts of Dr. Feliciano Pinheiro de Bittencourt – the lecturer who was responsible for most of the conferences. This paper presents and analyzes the lectures of Dr. Bittencourt identifying, through his speeches, his criticism of Darwinism, as well as his standing as a believer in polygenism and creationism. In this paper, I also examine his interpretation of the society from a racialized perspective.