«Apropos of the devastation of our forests»

environmentalism, preservationism and Iberism as a critique of modernity in Gilberto Freyre (1932-1937)

Abstract

This article intends to debate the environmental and ecological discourse on Gilberto Freyre’s work from the 1920’s, by means of his performance in the Pernambuco journalism, and from the 1930’s, based on Casa-grande & Senzala, published in 1933, and, above all, on the 1937 book Nordeste. The goal is to investigate the importance that Freyre gives to environmental questions, but in connection to the broader set of his work, marked by the defense of the Iberian world and the criticism of the western modernity. The valorization of the tropics, the poetic and empathetic vision in regard to the world of northeastern sugar mills, as well as the criticism to modern mill owners are key elements of this article.