ABSTRACT
This article seeks to discuss the originality of the interpretation of Brazil undertaken in the book “Formação econômica do Brasil”, Furtado’s masterpiece. In order to do so, it highlights the main tenets of his thought, which paved the way for Furtado’s historical-structuralist method. The structure of the book, its method and style allowed the interplay of different spaces and times in such an innovative way that opened new potential avenues for understanding and changing the Brazilian reality of his time. At last, it establishes a dialogue between this interpretation of Brazil and the ones launched by his predecessors: Gilberto Freyre, Sérgio Buarque de Holanda and Caio Prado Jr.
KEYWORDS:
Underdevelopment; Latin American structuralism; national development; economic thought; interpretations of Brazil