Description
Book SynopsisFocusing on the period between 1920 and 1950, the author looks beyond ideologies to reveal how middle-class men and women strained to wrest order from the ordeal of change.
Trade Review"Scholars of Latin America usually give its middle class short shrift. Here, Owensby breaks new ground by investigating its rise in Brazil. . . . An indispensable book." --
Foreign Affairs"Owensby uses a fascinating array of sources to present his well-told tale. . . . A very good book and one that not only touches a great deal, but is also a joy to read." --
American Journal of Sociology"Owensky moves easily amid a wide array of sources—ranging from popular literature written by, and for, the middle class to foreign and sociological studies of white-collar workers in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo—to execute an anthropological reading of their frustrations and aspirations. . . . His framework for understanding the middle ranks of the Brazilian social hierarchy are applicable today." --
Journal of Interdisciplinary HistoryTable of ContentsA note on orthography 1. Directions 2. Into the middle of a competitive social order 3. Shifting hierarchies 4. Struggling and aspiring 5. Keeping up appearances 6. Approaching the people 7. Collaboration and indifference 8. Marginalized in the middle of electoral populism 9. Apolitical politics 10. Reflections Abbreviations Notes References Index.
