Pearl Of The Paraíba No More: The Limits Of Modernity In Brazil

Pearl Of The Paraíba No More is a case study ofBrazil’s modernization over a thirty-year span duringthe mid-twentieth century. This detailed study ofBarra do Piraí, a railroad junction and commercialcenter in the Paraíba Valley, shows that only aportion of the local population enjoyed the benefitsof modernization. In particular, people from thesurrounding, impoverished countryside who migrated toBarra do Piraí typically settled on hills in thecity’s periphery that lacked clean drinking water,sewerage systems, public schools, medical posts, andpolice protection. At the same time, however, peopledemanded that modernization’s promises be fulfilled. In addition, modernization of local cultureencouraged youths to behave in ways often deemedinappropriate by their elders. Finally, as the cityentered the 1960s, crime became a serious concern andraised fears that dangerous social outcasts, referredto as marginais (marginals), would overtake the city. Confronted with these problems, few people opposedthe military dictators who might delivermodernization’s benefits and restore social orderafter their coup d’etat in 1964. Read more