ABOUT BRAZILIAN AUTHORITARIANISM

Abstract

This review presents Lilia Moritz Schwarcz's book, “About Brazilian authoritarianism”, edited by Companhia das Letras, in 2019. The author examines some of the foundations of authoritarianism in Brazil, from a critical perspective that reveals some national myths. The historical, sociological, and anthropological approach about eight themes pointed out by the author as central to understanding authoritarianism in the country engendered by the naturalization of social inequality, the persistence in denying racism and some prejudices, and the improvement of patrimonial practices and bossiness. The researcher offers us important reflections from a consistent theoretical basis and statistical data. The work is an important contribution to all people who wish to understand the social, political, and historical dynamics of authoritarianism in Brazil in order to act in the defense and promotion of Human Rights. In this direction, the book presents important elements to those who work in Human Rights Education anchored in anti-racist and emancipatory pedagogy. The author promoted an instigating reflection on what she called the ghosts of the present time, which, analyzing the political context of the period in which her research was produced, made it clear that the various forms of violence present in our daily lives were inherited from our past.