SCIENTISM AND SECULARISM IN THE ANARCHIST PRESS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE NEWSPAPER "A LANTERNA: ANTICLERICAL COMBAT SHEET" (1909-1916)

Abstract

This research analyzes the newspaper "A Lanterna: folha anticlerical de combate" during its second phase of circulation (1909-1916) and presents an investigation into the articulation between scientific ideology and anarchist principles disseminated by the aforementioned newspaper. The aim was to examine how this press proposed the updating of the ideological context in the early years of the Brazilian Republic, mainly denouncing the conservative stance of the Catholic Church. The methodology employed consisted of bibliographic and documentary research, based on primary sources accessed through the online National Library of Brazil's Hemeroteca Digital. The results reveal that the anarchist movement utilized the press as a means of disseminating its demands, especially those related to workers' education, in opposition to the principles of the conservative elite present in republican movements. It was observed that, in the anarchist press, the promotion of modern science development emerged as a means of modernizing social relations. In contrast, other press organs of the time prioritized the interests of material progress, while the anarchist press directed its interest towards the development of marginalized segments, issuing severe criticisms of the prevailing social organization, especially the clergy and the Catholic Church, perceived as obstacles to the advancement of a progressive society.