The purpose of this article is to discuss some aspects of Gilberto Freyre’s work in an attempt to distinguish those that are more dated from views which are still surprisingly up-to-date. It therefore takes as a starting point Anthony Marx’s Making Race and Nation: A Comparison of the United States, South Africa and Brazil. The reason for choosing this book is its author’s interesting idea of linking the racial question in those three classic examples of large nations made up of Blacks and Whites to the theme of nation building.
