Summary: | The aim of this paper is to analyze Masonic sociability in Portuguese America focusing on the city of Rio de Janeiro at the turn of the eighteenth century and the first two decades of the nineteenth century. It seeks to identify the representations created by the Luso-Brazilian society and their affiliation with the Masonic order. It also aims to visualize the manner in which the sociability engendered by the Freemason lodges eventually contributed to the construction of a political culture, in which the practice of debate, criticism, and representation were essential elements allowing us to have a better understanding of the final years of Portuguese colonial rule in the American continent.
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