The Northeastern region occupies a privileged space in the Brazilian social thought; sometimes as the place of originality, sometimes as the place of decay, sometimes both. And this coexistence among apparently opposite features confers an ambivalent character to the region. This article reflects on the Northeastern conceptions in the works of Gilberto Freyre and Celso Furtado.
Brazil; Northeast; Celso Furtado; Gilberto Freyre; Ambivalence