Social Connections and Space in Nineteenth-Century Rio de Janeiro

This paper explores the theme of social connections
in the novels of Machado de Assis, José de Alencar,
and Aluísio Azevedo against a background of empirical
research on historical social networks in the space
of the city of Rio de Janeiro. It argues that a
better understanding of the meaning and configuration
of social networks in history can be obtained
through creative use of literary sources. In this, the
paper builds upon the work of Antonio Candido,
Roberto Schwarz, and Raymundo Faoro—all of whom
emphasized the historical and sociological richness
in the works of the novelists under consideration. By
emphasizing the physical space of the city, its street
networks and modes of transport, and the existence
of overlapping social networks therein, the paper
connects sociologically inflected literary criticism to
social history through the use of new digital methods
of analysis and visualization.
The body of the paper is divided into two parts. The
first part analyzes networks within the novels and the
novelistic space of the city. The second part, building
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on the network typologies and spaces discovered in
the analysis of the novels, explores social networks
and the space of the city through the analysis of
historical documents such as lists of club members
or occupational groupings. The paper then concludes
with an appraisal of the way literary networks and
spaces can inform better historical questions put to
more traditional historical documents.
In terms of digital humanities methods, the paper
explores the use of computational techniques and
programs such as GIS (ArcGIS and related software)
and Gephi, a network analysis tool. Part of the novelty
of the approach considered in this paper is the degree
to which it combines analysis across these platforms
—that is, network space (Gephi) and geographical
space (ArcGIS) taken together. Because it is difficult
to describe the approach taken in the paper in words
alone, two examples of the kinds of visualization
generated for the paper are shown to the right.
Epitaph of a Small Winner
Machado de Assis’s novel (1881) is told in the first
person by a voluble narrator. Connections to the
central character (red node) shoot off in multiple
directions as the book zig-zags through his life (which
can be read, loosely, as a Bildungsroman of Brazil
personified in the character of Brás Cubas). The
structure of the novel thereby reflects the author’s
critique of the capricious and fragmented world of Rio
de Janeiro. Still, in the midst of all this fragmentation,
certain characters and places emerge as brokers and
spaces of social connections.
Sonhos d’Ouro
José de Alencar’s novel (1872) is told in a traditional
third-person style. The central character (red node)
is surrounded by characters of similar importance
(measured by network centrality). There are relatively
few network clusters and far fewer characters and
complications than in the case of Machado’s novel.
The plot of Alencar’s novel seeks to resolve the tension
between newly minted capitalist wealth and values of
thrift and honor embodied in the protagonist.
The second part of the paper explores what happens
when we place historical individuals in the context
of social networks and the spaces of the city. Using
information gleaned from the analysis of networks in
novels, including the role of “brokers” and “spaces
of interaction,” part two looks for evidence of similar
patterns of social connections and spaces in the
historical record.
As in the example provided in the diagram above, it
is possible to reconstruct the shape of social networks
in nineteenth-century Rio de Janeiro through the
collection of data concerning club and organization
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52
membership and the analysis of large datasets with
tools such as Gephi and Pajek (used above). There
is a clear pecking order in the organizations of the
civic fauna in Rio. Just a few leaders are required,
for example, to tie together 90 percent of the civic
fauna in first- or second-degree connections. The
same emphasis on hierarchy and gatekeeping with
respect to social connections appears in the analysis
of the novels discussed with respect to the first part of
the paper.