FGV CPDOC Center for Research and Documentation of Contemporary History of Brazil

History and Founding

The Center for Research and Documentation of Contemporary History of Brazil (Centro de Pesquisa e Documentação de História Contemporânea do Brasil, CPDOC) was founded in 1973 as part of the Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), a prestigious Brazilian research and higher education institution established in 1944. CPDOC began operations with the mission of safeguarding personal archives of important figures in Brazil's contemporary history and making them available for public consultation. In 2005, the institution launched its first undergraduate program, and in 2013 it also became officially known as the School of Social Sciences (Escola de Ciências Sociais) at FGV, while retaining the CPDOC identity.

Collections and Holdings

CPDOC holds approximately 1.8 million documents in around 200 personal archive collections, constituting the most important repository of personal archives of Brazilian public figures in existence. Archives begin primarily from 1930 and cover presidents of Brazil, government ministers, state governors, intellectuals, journalists, social scientists, and activists. The institution's Oral History Program, founded in 1975, has produced over 7,500 hours of recordings from approximately 1,800 interviews with major personalities in Brazilian politics, the military, the arts, journalism, law, and civil society. Many collections are digitized and accessible via the Archives Guide (Accessus system).

Notable Collections for Journalism and Media Research

CPDOC holds significant collections relevant to Brazilian media and journalism history. Its Digital Historical Archive of Brazilian Women includes materials related to figures such as journalist and newspaper owner Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt (Correio da Manhã) and Rosalina Coelho Lisboa (director of Diários Associados). The oral history collection includes testimonials from major media personalities and covers topics such as the political history of the Brazilian press. The archives contain photographic collections and documents related to communication, propaganda, and cultural diplomacy in Brazil from the 1940s onwards.

Access and Usage

CPDOC's archives are accessible in person at its consultation room in Rio de Janeiro. An increasing share of collections is digitized and searchable via the Accessus online archive database and Archives Guide. Oral history recordings are available via the dedicated Oral History database on the CPDOC website. The institution publishes two academic journals: Estudos Históricos and Revista Mosaico.