Gilberto Freyre: between the interpreter of harmony and the sociologist of conflict and social violence in Brazil
Gilberto Freyre; social harmony; conflict; social thought; violence
Gilberto Freyre is not only an interpreter of social harmony in Brazil, but also a sociologist who investigates the conflicts and violence present in Brazilian society – aspects of his work that have received less attention in the field of Brazilian social thought. The objective of this research is to understand Freyre's complexity, exploring how he articulates both the idealization of harmonious coexistence between different social groups and the presence of conflicts and violence in the formation of national society. By highlighting this duality, the research aims to contribute to a more comprehensive debate on the intellectual legacy of the author from Pernambuco, emphasizing the multiple dimensions and contradictions of his work. Thus, through a detailed examination of some of his main works, this study seeks to demonstrate that in Freyre there is an interpreter of the Brazilian past, portraying a peacefully balanced and harmonious society, alongside an empirical sociologist of conflict and violence as constitutive elements of this society. The bibliographic focus of the research is on the triptych “Introduction to the History of the Patriarchal Society in Brazil”, which began with the publication of The Masters and the Slaves in 1933, continued with The Mansions and the Shanties in 1936 and concluded with Order and Progress in 1959.