Abstract
The authors analyze the reception of Donald Pierson's conceptions of sociology in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, based on the cases of Luiz de Aguiar Costa Pinto e Alberto Guerreiro Ramos. Pierson is known for having propagated certain patterns of scientific work associated with the Chicago School of Sociology through articles, books, lectures at Escola Livre de Sociologia e Política in São Paulo and conferences throughout the country. Costa Pinto e Guerreiro Ramos, former students in Social Sciences at Faculdade Nacional de Filosofia, approached Pierson's ideas while struggling to consolidate their career as sociologists. Despite agreeing with Pierson on the importance of establishing a professional identity and of promoting research-based inquiries, they reinterpreted some aspects of his "science of sociology", replacing the ideal of noncommitment to political and practical action with a more ambitious agenda of social intervention.
Keywords
Donald Pierson; History of Social Sciences in Rio de Janeiro; Luiz de Aguiar Costa Pinto; Chicago School of Sociology; Alberto Guerreiro Ramos