Images of colonial slavery: Gilberto Freyre in contrast to others Brazil's interpreters

Abstract

This article was written to address the use of slave labor in the Portuguese colony of America. For this, we analyzed, one on side, the interpretation of Gilberto Freyre about the slave’s role in the paternalistic regime, and, on the other hand, the interpretations of the economic function of the Indian and the black person in the initial process of formation of Brazilian society. We try also to reflect about the image that Freyre builds of the black slave: as embedded element harmoniously to colonial political organization. We contrasted this view with that of other intellectuals who reinforced the political exclusion of the black person.