Revisions of classical studies of the family in Brazil agree in criticizing patriarchalism as a general and fixed model describing this institution, arguing that the Brazilian family was a plurality of dispersed experiences. We suggest that in the essay narratives of national identity there are already plural models of the Brazilian family, which are diversified according to local arrangements of family relations. Considering the themes family-nation-region, we review the work of two groups of important essayists on the construction of particular regional identities: Alfredo Ellis Jr. e Cassiano Ricardo; Alceu Amoroso Lima e Sylvio de Vasconcellos. We argue that these essayists articulated visions of São Paulo and Minas Gerais as cultures and societies characterized in a significant way by experiences of a proper family organization.
family; nation; region; Brazilian social thought