This article aims at providing a consideration of the issue of modernity in Brazil by means of a critical analysis of two of the main strands in the Brazilian social thought, namely the so-called dependency sociological approach and the patrimonial-patriarchal heritage strand. It argues in favor of a broadened conceptual framework capable of grasping variations in the three pillars of modern sociability, that is, social differentiation, secularization, and the public-private divide. The ultimate goal is setting the terrain for dealing with the constitution of modern sociability as a contingent process resulting from contentions among disputing projects, interests, and world views, which fight for the control of the social order.
Modernity in Brazil; Social theory; Brazilian social thought
