Novos e velhos perigos rondam as cidades: formação policial e combate à criminalidade na perspectiva da revista Boletim Policial (1907-1918)

Abstract

This thesis examines the magazine Boletim Policial, published in Rio de Janeiro (RJ-Brazil) from 1907 to 1918. The main objective is to show how the discourse expressed in this police magazine materializes/circulates (not only in the magazine, but also in society) in a context in which there was a desire to modernize police methods and techniques, considered outdated, and how the publication is used as one of the instruments in the apparatus for training this police force. The methodology was based on document mapping and downloading the magazine from the Brazilian Digital Newspaper Library. As a methodology, we used Foucault's discourse analysis (2014), in which discourse is understood as a mechanism of power and a social practice capable of regulating behavior, producing knowledge, and maintaining power relations. In addition to the methodological basis, Foucault is also the main theoretical interlocutor, especially on issues related to security, control, punishment, and the role of the police in society. The thesis also dialogues with Bretas (2017), Pulido Esteva (2017, 2023), Galeano (2009, 2016), Galeano and Bretas (2016), Galeano and Oliveira (2017), Martins (2014), and Oliveira (2016, 2019), since all these authors and works discuss the history of the police in Brazil and Latin America..The text is divided into three chapters. The first one provides a historical overview of the police, also citing the first police magazines that appeared in the world and a brief discussion of unwanted bodies. The second chapter delves deeper into discussions about the magazine Boletim Policial: its main content, such as the use of literature, photography, statistics, and its highlight about the relevance of a police training school. Finally, the third and last chapter shed light over issues that most frequently appear in the journal, such as insane criminals, juvenile delinquents, and the regulation of the red-light district.