Reviews
" A Place in Politics offers a rare revisionist interpretation that makes its case without simply turning conventional wisdom on its head. While James P. Woodard elegantly eviscerates the enduring belief that Republican politics in São Paulo 'was the exclusive preserve of the comfortable few,' he does so not by discovering some alternative (and fanciful) popular political sphere, but by revealing the layers of participation and dynamic engagement in everyday paulista politics. This book is a remarkable accomplishment and a joy to read."- Barbara Weinstein , author of For Social Peace in Brazil: Industrialists and the Remaking of the Working Class in São Paulo, 19201964, " A Place in Politics offers a rare revisionist interpretation that makes its case without simply turning conventional wisdom on its head. While James P. Woodard elegantly eviscerates the enduring belief that Republican politics in So Paulo 'was the exclusive preserve of the comfortable few,' he does so not by discovering some alternative (and fanciful) popular political sphere, but by revealing the layers of participation and dynamic engagement in everyday paulista politics. This book is a remarkable accomplishment and a joy to read."-- Barbara Weinstein , author of For Social Peace in Brazil: Industrialists and the Remaking of the Working Class in So Paulo, 1920-1964, "James Woodard provides a rewarding mixture of new and old political historical approaches in this confidently written and richly researched book. . . . A Place in Politics proposes a bold reassessment of early twentieth-century politics that will appeal to Brazilianists and non-Brazilianists alike. In its strong conceptual project-and even more in its thoughtful elaboration of that project-Woodard's book is a welcome contribution to Latin American political history." - Roger A. Kittleson, The Americas, "Woodard's A Place in Politics is an original, culture-oriented reconstruction of S o Paulo politics from the decade preceding the fall of the monarchy, in 1889, to the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932. . . . A Place in Politics is a detailed and well-documented study." - Leone Campos de Sousa, Ethnic and Racial Studies, "[T]his is what stands out about his project: it does not adhere to traditional issues of the historiography of this period but takes a long view encompassing the transformations of the organization and functions of political life in the state of So Paulo and Brazil. The author carries out this difficult task with considerable ability and skill, bringing together knowledge of traditional issues widely discussed in Brazilian historiography -- the Repblica Velha (Old Republic), the politics of the state governors, coronelismo, industrialization, modernism and the 1920s crisis, the 'ruining' of the coffee oligarchy, and the 1930 revolution -- without losing himself in a tangled web of documents and bibliographical research." - Adriano Luiz Duarte, Hispanic American Historical Review, "Woodard's A Place in Politics is an original, culture-oriented reconstruction of São Paulo politics from the decade preceding the fall of the monarchy, in 1889, to the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932. . . . A Place in Politics is a detailed and well-documented study." - Leone Campos de Sousa, Ethnic and Racial Studies, "[T]his is what stands out about his project: it does not adhere to traditional issues of the historiography of this period but takes a long view encompassing the transformations of the organization and functions of political life in the state of São Paulo and Brazil. The author carries out this difficult task with considerable ability and skill, bringing together knowledge of traditional issues widely discussed in Brazilian historiography - the República Velha (Old Republic), the politics of the state governors, coronelismo, industrialization, modernism and the 1920s crisis, the 'ruining' of the coffee oligarchy, and the 1930 revolution - without losing himself in a tangled web of documents and bibliographical research." - Adriano Luiz Duarte, Hispanic American Historical Review, " A Place in Politics will immediately make James P. Woodard one of the outstanding authorities in current debates on the nature of popular political participation in early-twentieth-century Brazil. It is a deeply researched, masterful analysis of politics in So Paulo at that time."-- Bryan McCann , author of Hello, Hello Brazil: Popular Music in the Making of Modern Brazil, " A Place in Politics will immediately make James P. Woodard one of the outstanding authorities in current debates on the nature of popular political participation in early-twentieth-century Brazil. It is a deeply researched, masterful analysis of politics in São Paulo at that time."-- Bryan McCann , author of Hello, Hello Brazil: Popular Music in the Making of Modern Brazil, "Woodard's study offers an elegantly crafted narrative on paulista republicanism and political culture and presents a nuanced view of the political conflicts of the 1920s . . . With a frequently penetrating provocative writing style, Woodard takes us through the different interconnected social layers of the Old Republic in an interpretive tour that brings new light into a too often distorted, politicized, and mishandled historical moment. With a rhetorical broadsword and a fearless abandon, he directs his most cogent criticism at the particular kind of historically constructed identity that is nationalism. His investigation of this vital transitional period is a gift to professionals and students of Brazilian political history." - Cristina Mehrtens, H-LatAm, H-Net Reviews, "A Place in Politics offers a rare revisionist interpretation that makes its case without simply turning conventional wisdom on its head. While James P. Woodard elegantly eviscerates the enduring belief that republican politics in SÃo Paulo 'was the exclusive preserve of the comfortable few,' he does so not by discovering some alternative (and fanciful) popular political sphere, but by revealing the layers of participation and dynamic engagement in everyday Paulista politics. This book is a remarkable accomplishment and a joy to read."-Barbara Weinstein, author of For Social Peace in Brazil: Industrialists and the Remaking of the Working Class in SÃo Paulo, 19201964 "A Place in Politics will immediately make James P. Woodard one of the outstanding authorities in current debates on the nature of popular political participation in early-twentieth-century Brazil. It is a deeply researched, masterful analysis of politics in SÃo Paulo at that time."-Bryan McCann, author of Hello, Hello Brazil: Popular Music in the Making of Modern Brazil, "Woodard's A Place in Politics is an original, culture-oriented reconstruction of So Paulo politics from the decade preceding the fall of the monarchy, in 1889, to the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932. . . . A Place in Politics is a detailed and well-documented study." - Leone Campos de Sousa, Ethnic and Racial Studies, "For the uninitiated, following the detailed intrigues among political rivals-some of whom change sides over the course of their lives-can be challenging. James P. Woodard is to be congratulated for guiding us through this challenging topic. The will be a must read for all those interested in Brazilian politics for years to come." - Mary Ann Mahony, Journal of Social History, “ A Place in Politics will immediately make James P. Woodard one of the outstanding authorities in current debates on the nature of popular political participation in early-twentieth-century Brazil. It is a deeply researched, masterful analysis of politics in S o Paulo at that time.â€�- Bryan McCann , author of Hello, Hello Brazil: Popular Music in the Making of Modern Brazil, "A Place in Politics offers a rare revisionist interpretation that makes its case without simply turning conventional wisdom on its head. While James P. Woodard elegantly eviscerates the enduring belief that republican politics in So Paulo 'was the exclusive preserve of the comfortable few,' he does so not by discovering some alternative (and fanciful) popular political sphere, but by revealing the layers of participation and dynamic engagement in everyday Paulista politics. This book is a remarkable accomplishment and a joy to read."--Barbara Weinstein, author of For Social Peace in Brazil: Industrialists and the Remaking of the Working Class in So Paulo, 1920-1964 "A Place in Politics will immediately make James P. Woodard one of the outstanding authorities in current debates on the nature of popular political participation in early-twentieth-century Brazil. It is a deeply researched, masterful analysis of politics in So Paulo at that time."--Bryan McCann, author of Hello, Hello Brazil: Popular Music in the Making of Modern Brazil, “ A Place in Politics offers a rare revisionist interpretation that makes its case without simply turning conventional wisdom on its head. While James P. Woodard elegantly eviscerates the enduring belief that Republican politics in S o Paulo ‘was the exclusive preserve of the comfortable few,’ he does so not by discovering some alternative (and fanciful) popular political sphere, but by revealing the layers of participation and dynamic engagement in everyday paulista politics. This book is a remarkable accomplishment and a joy to read.â€�- Barbara Weinstein , author of For Social Peace in Brazil: Industrialists and the Remaking of the Working Class in S o Paulo, 1920–1964, "James Woodard provides a rewarding mixture of new and old political historical approaches in this confidently written and richly researched book. . . . A Place in Politics proposes a bold reassessment of early twentieth-century politics that will appeal to Brazilianists and non-Brazilianists alike. In its strong conceptual project--and even more in its thoughtful elaboration of that project--Woodard's book is a welcome contribution to Latin American political history." - Roger A. Kittleson, The Americas, " A Place in Politics offers a rare revisionist interpretation that makes its case without simply turning conventional wisdom on its head. While James P. Woodard elegantly eviscerates the enduring belief that Republican politics in São Paulo 'was the exclusive preserve of the comfortable few,' he does so not by discovering some alternative (and fanciful) popular political sphere, but by revealing the layers of participation and dynamic engagement in everyday paulista politics. This book is a remarkable accomplishment and a joy to read."-- Barbara Weinstein , author of For Social Peace in Brazil: Industrialists and the Remaking of the Working Class in São Paulo, 1920-1964, " A Place in Politics will immediately make James P. Woodard one of the outstanding authorities in current debates on the nature of popular political participation in early-twentieth-century Brazil. It is a deeply researched, masterful analysis of politics in São Paulo at that time."- Bryan McCann , author of Hello, Hello Brazil: Popular Music in the Making of Modern Brazil, "[T]his is what stands out about his project: it does not adhere to traditional issues of the historiography of this period but takes a long view encompassing the transformations of the organization and functions of political life in the state of São Paulo and Brazil. The author carries out this difficult task with considerable ability and skill, bringing together knowledge of traditional issues widely discussed in Brazilian historiography -- the República Velha (Old Republic), the politics of the state governors, coronelismo, industrialization, modernism and the 1920s crisis, the 'ruining' of the coffee oligarchy, and the 1930 revolution -- without losing himself in a tangled web of documents and bibliographical research." - Adriano Luiz Duarte, Hispanic American Historical Review, "For the uninitiated, following the detailed intrigues among political rivals--some of whom change sides over the course of their lives--can be challenging. James P. Woodard is to be congratulated for guiding us through this challenging topic. The will be a must read for all those interested in Brazilian politics for years to come." - Mary Ann Mahony, Journal of Social History, "In A Place in Politics , James P. Woodard masterfully and meticulously unpacks the traditional reading of these four decades and offers a fresh and provocative rethinking of the dynamics of public life and political participation in the early twentieth century." - James N. Green, Bulletin of Latin American Research
