The Formation of the Brazilian Nation. Historical Perspective

Abstract

It's difficult to define what a nation is. There is no unanimity as far as the starting point of such a phenomenon is concerned. Nobody knows whether it will exist for ever. The author is discussing the importance of a territory, of the specif-ic language, of a specific culture, of some symbols, and of the state for the building of the Brazilian nation. The author states that the most important national problem no-wadays is still the social exclusion of large groups of the Brazilian population. The socially excluded people can't participate fully in national life. Some of them are ex-cluded in fact from the national community too.