Civilisation and Violence at the Periphery of Capitalism: Notes for Rethinking the Brazilian Civilizing Process

Abstract

The argument developed in this chapter suggests that the civilizing impetus that prevailed in the Brazilian modernization process must be understood in light of the colonizing process and the oppressive and violent social dynamics that are present in the history of Brazil due to slavery. The text is divided into four parts. In the first, we briefly introduce Norbert Elias’s attitude to class relations, at the heart of the civilizing process. In the second part, we discuss how Brazilian sociologist Jessé Souza articulated class relations in his theory of selective modernization. In the third part, and in an attempt to approximate the theoretical constructs of Elias and Souza, we suggest the possibility of a selective civilizing process structuring the social dynamics in peripheral societies, such as the Brazilian. Finally, we introduce some notes on the potential use of violence as an “existential cry” by actors and groups that have historically been pushed to the fringes of the system in the country.