Em busca de um Brasil Moderno: o ensaísmo histórico de Azevedo Amaral (1906 – 1941)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to present an interpretation of the life and work of the journalist and intellectual Azevedo Amaral. Placed in the "shadow of history" due to his authoritarian worldview, his work fell into obscurity. However, from the 1980s onward, it has been recovered by historiography interested in studying the nature of authoritarian regimes of the 1930s, positioning him as one of the main authoritarian ideologues of that period. With a successful career in the Rio de Janeiro press in the early 20th century, he became one of the most well-known journalists of the time, being invited to join the group of intellectuals who published in Cultura Política, the official magazine of the Department of Press and Propaganda of the Estado Novo. This work, in turn, seeks to provide a new interpretation of his work, presenting an approach that goes beyond the "authoritarian canon" established by historiography. Azevedo Amaral is considered here an essayist who conceived an idea of modern Brazil through the study of the past and colonial roots. It is from this perspective that his entire conservative and authoritarian worldview is constructed. Therefore, it is an interpretation of the foundations of his political thought