Book, Enigma called Brazil, One: 29 interpreters and one country[LS]

Since the times of the Empire, countless authors have dedicated themselves to the complex task of deciphering Brazil. From different traditions and times, countless interpretations have been written about the country's social formation, whose themes still inspire discussions among specialists today. In this collection of articles, 29 interpreters from Brazil are analyzed in light of their main ideas and from the point of view of important contemporary researchers. Some renowned names, such as Gilberto Freyre and Sérgio Buarque de Hollanda, join others, not so famous but with important works on Brazil, such as Oliveira Vianna, Manoel Bomfim and Octavio Ianni. Written in accessible language but without losing sight of the complexity of the theme, the work establishes a dialogue between these thinkers, their works and how their ideas were received in certain contexts. The result is a critical compilation that covers social thought in different generations: from those who focused on the construction of the State during the Empire to the classic essayists of the 1930s, through the theorists of scientific racism, its critics in the First Republic, the modernists in the 1920s and, finally, the pioneering generation of social scientists and their first disciples. By bringing together these authors, An enigma called Brazil proposes to contribute to the contemporary debate and introduce students and enthusiasts of the subject to fundamental ideas for understanding Brazilian society. At the end of each entry there are reading instructions and, at the end of the book, a brief biography of these personalities. In the wake of the varied points of view, each article elaborates a possible explanation; together, they invite the reader to reflect on various subjects that suggest in the background Tom Jobim's famous phrase: "Brazil is not for beginners".