Mapping the Paradigms of Brazilian Social Thought

Abstract

One of the most constant traits in the intellectuals responsible for the history of Brazilian social thought in modern times is their attraction to the study of their own society. It is possible to identify in the historiography of Brazilian social thought, three great ruptures through which new ways of defining the country’s formation were introduced. Bearing in mind that this is not a strict and rigid period division, but one based on emphasis, we could name the first of these three periods as that of race, which comes up around the 1870’s; the second one, could be called the period of culture, placed around the 1930’s; and the last one, that of social frame, emerging around the 1950’s. This history of Brazilian social thought changed its course around the 1980’s. It is possible to detect at that moment a change in focus for Brazil; some kind of transition from a perspective that favoured territorial or stratal integration to a growing emphasis on cultural integration. Since then we can see the emergence of new themes, objects and approaches also within the field of Brazilian social thought. The inclusion of new participants in the dialogue that was being carried out was to give rise to unexpected effects.