This paper interprets the formation decades of the Paulista sociology (1940-70) in the light of the main disputes among institutions, groups, and agents occurred in this context, which was unified by the attempt of explaining the recalcitrant Brazilian modernization. Following this direction, the specific sociologies, which had been gradually constituted, were primarily analysis perspectives and not specializations themselves. The exposition takes alternative pairs as references, which involved oppositions such as: essay vs. science; radical thinking vs. conservative thinking; empirical theory vs. empirical research; totalizing interpretation vs. dualist interpretation; Sociology of Development vs. Sociology of Culture. The tensions that make up the period are delimitated from those oppositions, which should not be rigidly understood.
Sociology in the state of São Paulo; Intellectuals; Essay; Science; Academic disputes