Abstract
This paper presents two axes common to two paradigmatic authors of the Brazilian social formation: Oliveira Vianna and Gilberto Freyre. On the one hand, it highlights the paths taken to obscure and dilute the antagonism between the ruling elite and the oppressed, which involved modernizing the conservative discourse inherent to the breadth and intensity of social tensions. On the other, it points to the solutions proposed by these authors to accommodate the growing tensions between regional oligarchies. In this regard, the text demonstrates how both idealized the colonial past to forge a “national culture” discourse that could legitimize a more stable balance of power structures in Brazil, coinciding with their defense of social segregation.
Keywords:
Conservatism; Social Segregation; Oliveira Vianna; Gilberto Freyre