This article intends to observe possible convergences between the sociological studies by Oliveira Vianna and regionalism in Brazilian literature from the last years of the 19th century to the first decades of the 20th . As a start point, this literary trend and the books by Vianna have in common an interest in describing and understanding Brazilian inland communities. Focusing on his sociological works published until the 1930's and the fictional literature written by Afonso Arinos and Godofredo Rangel, both born in Minas Gerais, we realize that they share ideas like the rural origin of Brazilian mentality and the praise of history as a way to establish the superiority of traditional elites, considering the attention given by Vianna to cultural issues
Oliveira Vianna; regionalist literature; Brazilian national identity