Abstract
In light of feminist criticism of Science, the article reflects on the Interpretations of Brazil, understood as the constructing field of Brazilian socio-historical thought, based on the legacies of Marias Isaura Pereira de Queiroz, Sylvia de Carvalho Franco, and Beatriz Nascimento. By employing Florestan Fernandes as an argumentative index, I propose two feminist openings in the production of sociological knowledge:
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the sociobiographical opening of the Marias problematizes the establishment of authority and intellectual legitimacy within the Brazilian Social Sciences, which is shaped by androcentric and racist power dynamics within the academic space;
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the epistemological opening highlights some propositions put forth by the Marias that challenge the canon.
In a common vein, these propositions destabilize the dualistic approach to national formation based on dichotomous oppositions between tradition/retardation and modernity, leading to other perspectives on social transformation.