Databases and Atlantic Historiography
A Reading through the Brasilhis Database e Slave Voyages
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59616/cehd.v2i9.2753Keywords:
ICTs, Atlantic History, DatabaseAbstract
In recent decades, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have significantly transformed the way historical knowledge is produced and accessed. The digitization of archives and the development of specialized platforms have become important tools for historical research. This study aims to reflect on the use of digital databases in historical inquiry, with an emphasis on Atlantic History, particularly during the period of the Iberian Union (1580–1640), by analyzing two key repositories: Brasilhis Database and Slave Voyages. Brasilhis Database gathers information about Portuguese America under Habsburg rule (1580–1640), mapping the movements of individuals across American territories and highlighting the political, commercial, and religious networks of the period. Slave Voyages, in turn, compiles data on the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans, granting access to records concerning the displacement of over 12 million people involved in this process. The aim is to understand how these databases, by organizing and cross-referencing data on mobility and Atlantic connections, contribute to renewing historical research.
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