Vida e morte do bandeirante: history and affection in São Paulo´s past

Abstract

Vida e morte do bandeirante, book published by Alcântara Machado in 1929, is usually characterized as ground-breaker because, based in documents, he analyzed the daily life of simple people, leaving aside the epic and heroic narratives of the “bandeiras paulistas” (settlers in São Paulo). The book is also associated to the crystallization and political use of the symbology of the “bandeirante paulista”, which associates São Paulo’s population to the qualities of boldness, tenacity and work, in order to set them apart of the rest of the country. Leaving aside the dichotomy “detractors vs apologists” of this symbology, the present paper seeks to highlight another aspect of Alcântara Machado’s book, in which the narrative allows the readers to identify themselves with the book and with the past of the city of São Paulo.