Abstract:
This review presents the book Os brancos da lei: liberalism, slavery and patriarchal mentality in the Empire of Brazil, by historian Jurandir Malerba. Using a wide variety of sources, with emphasis on Brazilian legislation and legal works from the period of the formation of a monarchical, slave-owning and landowning Brazil, and, in this sense, the author demystifies the penetration of liberalism, especially in the construction of a criminal law. Furthermore, he uses patriarchy and not citizenship as the central element of his analysis. Finally, the profound, original and comprehensive theoretical discussion presented deserves special mention.
Keywords:
Brazil Empire; Law and slavery