Power Ruling Classes Northeast Brazil Juazeiro Petrolina Transiti… 9780521373845

Power and the Ruling Classes in Northeast BrazilJuazeiro and Petrolina in Transition\nAuthor(s): Ronald H. Chilcote\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Cambridge University Press\nISBN-13: 9780521373845, 978-0521373845\nSynopsis\nThis case study of the structure of power and ruling-class domination in the heart of the serto of Northeast Brazil is based upon six field trips over a period of fifteen years. Analysis of the political economy of Juazeiro, Bahia, and Petrolina, Pernambuco - two contiguous towns along the So Francisco River - focuses on the history of patriarchal families, ruling class, and patrimonial governments. Family dominance is related to the rise of the Coelhos in Petrolina and the decline of the Vianas in Juazeiro. Agressive tactics and links to Recife allowed the Coelhos to expand and assume control over most commerce in Petrolina and neighbouring municipalities to Juazeiro. In both situations the intervention of the .