Sociology has always had conflict between social classes as one of its objects of study. In Latin America, for example, the sociology of the early twentieth century suffered intense influences from Marxist theories, as its concerns became the underdevelopment of Latin countries.
In Brazil, in the 1920s and 1930s, scholars worked in search of understanding the formation of Brazilian society, analyzing themes such as the abolition of slavery, exodus and studies on Indians and blacks. Among the most significant authors, we have: Sérgio Buarque de Holanda (Raízes do Brasil-1936), Gilberto Freyre (Casa Grande & Senzala-1933) and Caio Prado Júnior (Formation of Brasil Contemporâneo-1942)
In the following decades, the sociology practiced in Brazil turned to the study of themes related to the working classes, such as wages and working hours, and also rural communities. In the 1960s, Sociology became concerned with the country’s industrialization process, in matters of agrarian reform and social movements in the city and in the countryside; from 1964 the work of sociologists turned to Brazilian socioeconomic and political problems, originated by the tension of living in a military regime (or military dictatorship, which in Brazil was from 1964 to 1985), in that period Sociology was banned from teaching high school.
In the 1980s, Sociology finally returned to being a discipline in high school, its presence in the curriculum being optional. During this period, the professionalization of Sociology in Brazil also occurred. In addition to the concern with the economy, politics and appropriate social changes with the establishment of the new republic (1985), sociologists diversified their horizons and broadened their range of studies, turned to the study of women, rural workers and other culminating subjects. .
Don’t stop now … There’s more after the publicity;)
In 2009, Sociology became a mandatory subject in the curriculum of high school students in Brazil. The opportunity to bring the student closer to Sociology, as a field of knowledge, aims to denaturalize the concepts or explanations of social phenomena. In other words and without losing sight of the importance of history, it is to consider that things have not always been the way they are. It is to realize that there are profound changes throughout history, the result of men’s decisions.
The sociologist can act in the areas of teaching, research and planning, in addition to advising and advising NGOs, private and public companies, political parties and professional associations, among other entities.