Pierre Deffontaines and the French university missions in Brazil: geopolitics of knowledge, circulation of sciences and geographical teaching (1934-1938)

This article addresses the role played by Geography within the French university missions in Brazil in the 1930s, considered as fundamental ones for the development of local universities, specially focusing on the work of the geographer Pierre Deffontaines. Crossing French and Brazilian primary sources, and comparing the existing works produced in France and Brazil by historians and geographers, I interrogate the documents of the scientific network at that time and the political, cultural and didactic issues of this example of international circulation of knowledge. My aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the cultural transfer from Europe to Brazilian University and society, as well as the enrichment of Geography, and Human Sciences from the Universities missions.