Brazilian Society
A short summary of the social structures and societies of Brazilian history.
Brazil is one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world, with communities ranging from urban centers to the uncontacted tribes of the Amazon. As a consequence, its overall society can only be understood as the sum of the populations and cultures that continue to shape it today.
Pre-Colonial Societies of Brazil
Before the arrival of Portuguese explorers in what is now Brazil, the region was occupied by hundreds of distinct tribes and cultures. Some of the largest of these cultures were the Tupinamba, Munduruku, Yanomami, and Guarani. They lived not only in the Amazon rainforest, but also along the coasts and plains surrounding it. While many lived as hunter-gatherers, others were accomplished farmers or practiced a mixture of both lifestyles.
The indigenous people of Brazil did not organize to the same extent as Mesoamerican empires like the Inca or Aztec. Instead, they mostly organized on a tribal basis, with small confederations forming between related groups. Little was recorded about their customs or numbers, but the precolonial population of Brazil is generally estimated between 2 and 5 million.
Brazil in the Colonial Era
Everything changed in 1500, when Portuguese explorers landed on the shores of modern Brazil. They found a land rich in resources, guarded by fragmented tribes with little protection from their foreign diseases. The Portuguese claimed sovereignty over the territory through the Treaty of Tordesillas, which divided the New World along east-west lines between it and the Kingdom of Spain.
Early Portuguese settlers gained a foothold in the country by allying with Tupi tribes, who sheltered them from conquest by their rivals. The Portuguese soon turned to enslavement, enlisting indigenous people to work on plantations and in mines. Some tribes chose to fight back, some integrated, and others vanished into the forest. The descendants of the latter represent the sparse uncontacted tribes still present in Brazil today.
As Portuguese interests in Brazil grew, the collapsing population of indigenous people left them with a labor shortage. This led to the mass importation of African slaves, another major contribution to its multicultural society. The colony eventually moved from the hands of private leaders, or captaincies, to the oversight of the Portuguese monarchy, setting the stage for its later position as the home of the Portuguese court and subsequent independence. From 1549 on, authority rested instead with a Governor-General. The 17th century saw Dutch incursions to the northeast and resulting warfare to drive them out, as well as widespread slave revolts, escapes, and the communities they formed on the outskirts of colonial society.
Independence in Brazil
When Brazil pushed for independence in 1822, it emerged as the largest nation in Central or South America. Nationhood occurred peacefully, following the departure of the Portuguese court after the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1821. This notable starting point allowed for a smooth transition of power to the Brazilian monarchy, headed by the Portuguese Prince Pedro I.
Modern Brazilian Society
The Kingdom of Brazil existed until 1889, when its last ruler was overthrown in a military coup. Slavery formally ended in the country in 1888. For the next half-century, Brazil functioned as a republic led by military and economic interests, or oligarchies. Liberal reforms beginning in 1930 ushered in an era of alternating democracy and military control, which stabilized by 1985. Since that time, the nation has enjoyed sustained economic growth but also struggled with questions of wealth inequality, indigenous rights, and management of its vast natural resources. There are still about 300 indigenous tribes in Brazil, representing nearly a million people.
References
“Brazilian Indians.” Survival International, Survival, www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/brazilian.
Fausto, Boris. A Concise History of Brazil. Cambridge University Press. 2014.
Hamilton, Cherie. Brazil: A Culinary Journey. Hippocrene Books. 2005.
MacLachlan, Colin. A History of Modern Brazil: The Past Against the Future. Rowman & Littlefield. 2003.
Meade, Teresa. A Brief History of Brazil. Infobase Publishing. 2014.
“The World Factbook: Brazil.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 1 Feb. 2018, www.cia.gov/-library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html.
Vincent, Jon S. and George Woodyard. Culture and Customs of Brazil. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2003.
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