Gilberto Freyre

From Freepedia

Gilberto Freyre (1900-1987) was a Brazilian author, known for his 1933 sociological treatise Casa-Grande & Senzala (The Masters and the Slaves).

He was born in Recife, Brazil, and studied in Baylor University and Columbia University, where he earned his master's degree. He returned to Brazil to teach sociology, but his political involvement led to his leaving the country for the United States in 1930. There he worked as a visiting professor at Stanford University. Returning to Brazil, he wrote and published Casa-Grande & Senzala, which studies the development of Brazilian society from the influences of the Portuguese, Indians, and African slaves. The work is credited with exposing the Brazilian cultural heritage and providing a source of national pride. In 1968 he received an honory doctorate from the University of Münster.