Koseritz, Karl von b. February 3, 1834; Dessau,Anhalt d.April 29, 1890; Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
German mercenary who enlisted for Brazil in its war against Argentina (1851-1852) and afterward became the founder of the German-speaking press in Brazil. Koseritz came to Rio Grande do Sul as a member of the Brummer.
After having worked as a teacher, journalist, and poet in Pelotas, Koseritz married Zeferina Maria de Vas- concelos, the daughter of a very wealthy Luso-Brazilian rancher. In 1861 he moved to Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, and became one of the most important German Brazilian leaders. He is often referred to as the “Brazilian Carl Schurz.”In 1864 Koseritz became editor of the Deutsche Zeitung (German Newspaper) and transformed this local newspaper into the most important German-speaking newspaper in the country. With this endeavor, he is credited for being the founder of the German-speaking press in Brazil. When he came into conflict with one of the coeditors of this newspaper in 1881, Koseritz founded his own Koseritz' Deutsche Zeitung. In addition to his engagement in the German-speaking press, Koseritz also edited and contributed to Portuguese-speaking newspapers in southern Brazil.
Koseritz’s contributions to Brazilian culture and society were not limited to the creation of a system of newspapers. He also introduced several new and challenging intellectual concepts to his part of the world. Propagating Charles Darwin’s evolution theory and belonging to the Free Masons, however, brought him into constant conflict with the Catholic Church and the German Jesuits of Rio Grande do Sul. His interest in the economic advancement of Brazil caused him to write the first book on the national economy of Brazil. His Resumo de economia national, especialmente aplicado ds tircunstdncias atuais do pais (Summary of the National Economy with a Special Treatment of the Current Conditions of the Country) was published in 1871 with Typographia do Jornal do Comercio in Porto Alegre.
Furthermore, Koseritz was one of the first to write an anthropological study of the Brazilian native population.His heart, however, was set on finding ways to integrate the German immigrants into Brazilian culture and society. Since the early 1860s, Koseritz fought the political discrimination against immigrants and non-Catholics that was enshrined in the 1824 constitution. To this end, Koseritz asked his fellow German immigrants to support the Liberal Party because it promised to change the constitution in favor of the political emancipation of immigrants. In 1881 the constitution was finally changed and granted equal political rights to all immigrants. This paved the way for political representation of German immigrants in the legislature. Together with other representatives from Rio Grande do Sul, Koseritz was elected a member of the parliament in 1884. When in 1889 Brazil became a republic, the Liberal Party and Koseritz quickly lost political influence and were even persecuted by the new government.
Rene Gertz
See also Brazil; Brummer; German Almanacs in Rio Grande do Sul; Germanism in Rio Grande do Sul; Printing and Publishing; Schurz, Carl
References and Further Reading
Gertz, Rene E. Karl von Koseritz. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, 2001.