The article discusses a classical research of Brazilian sociological tradition: Lutas de famílias no Brasil (1949), by Luiz de Aguiar Costa Pinto. The main objective is to demonstrate and analyze their theoretical meaning for understanding the formation of the Nation-state in Brazil. It shows how Costa Pinto's research contributes to destabilize the dualistic opposition between public and private on the Brazilian social thought.
Nation-state; Public and private; Political sociology; Brazilian social thought