Society and Government in Colonial Brazil, 1500-1822

Professor Russell-Woods detailed studies of Brazilian social history in the colonial era have long been recognised as model contributions to the history of class, race, gender and religion. This collection combines work on particular persons and groupings with survey articles on the role of the port and the frontier in colonial Brazil and on its historiography. The author describes the administration and structure of government, and the realities of royal power, with examples drawn from the port cities and the mining townships of the interior, then moves on to examine the interplay of class, religion and race with reference to brotherhoods of persons of African descent and the racially exclusive Third Orders. One group who overcame legal, physical and social constraints were women who, whether of European or African descent, contributed decisively to the economy and society of Brazil. To conclude, there are accounts of three individuals, each of whose experiences illustrate facets of the judicial system, governance and education in Portugals richest colony. Les tudes dtailles du professeur Russell-Wood sur lhistoire sociale brsilienne durant la priode coloniale ont longtemps t reconnues comme un modle de contribution histoire des classes, des races, des genres et des religions. Cette collection allie des travaux au sujet dindividus spcifiques et de groupements des rsums denqute sur la rle du port et de la frontire dans le Brsil colonial et dans son historiographie. Lauteur dcrit ladministration et la structure gouvernementale, ainsi que les ralits du pouvoir royal, sappuyant dexemples tirs des cits portuaires et des communes minires de lintrieur. Il passe ensuite lexamen de linteraction des classes, des religions et des races en faisant rfrence aux liens de fraternit qui unissaient les personnes de descendance africaine, ainsi quaux Troisimes Ordres qui pratiq