Book exposes influence of Lombroso's ideas in Latin America

This work explores different fields of research to understand the implications of Lombrosianism in the social sciences.

Book exposes influence of Lombroso's ideas in Latin America

This work explores different fields of research to understand the implications of Lombrosianism in the social sciences.

The Lombroso Galaxy: The Extraordinary Popularity of Cesare Lombroso and Lombrosianism in Latin AmericaLivio Sansone's book presents a detailed study on how Cesare Lombroso's ideas, especially regarding race, directly and indirectly influenced the consolidation of social sciences in Latin America, particularly in Brazil.

This work seeks to analyze in depth the so-called "Lombroso galaxy"—an international network that initially revolved around the Italian psychiatrist and anthropologist, but which later generated sub-centers led by his own students. To this end, it draws on different research areas—history of racism and racial thought, criminology, psychiatry, medicine, anthropology, among others—and analyses of interpretations of Lombrosianism around the world, as well as presenting its developments after Lombroso's death. The objective is to map this galaxy in detail and demonstrate its true dimension.

In an interview with Jornal da Unicamp, Sansone shared the motivations that led him to write, the study processes, the difficulties encountered, and his view on the influence of these ideas today.

Unicamp Journal – How did the idea for writing the book come about? Was there a specific episode or gap in the specialized literature that motivated this research?

Livio Sansone – I have always been intrigued by authors who are often reviled, frequently cited but rarely read. In the history of racial thought, which already deals with a subject tinged with exaggeration, absurdity, and anti-scientific sentiment, paying more attention to these authors seems of paramount importance – especially in the case of Cesare Lombroso, the most internationally cited Italian author in the entire history of social sciences. I realized the relevance of his ideas – Lombrosianism, for example – in a lecture I gave in 2002 for a master's course in human rights in Rio de Janeiro: the students, mostly progressive lawyers and jurists, still called him "master".

JU – In the book's introduction, you mention that it would be necessary to be an "expert in the various research fields covered." What was the study process like prior to writing, considering this interdisciplinary complexity?

Livio Sansone – I built my career as an anthropologist researching race relations and their classification systems through fieldwork, primarily ethnography with subaltern groups in England, the Netherlands, Suriname, and, since 1992, Brazil. To get to the root of racial thought, as I do in this book, I had to reinvent myself as an ethnographer in the archives, learning to explore their secrets – their pearls, but also their absences – imitating the master historians, without, however, abandoning the taste for detail, for the “gossip” that the archives also contain. The readings involved several languages ​​and texts written from the mid-19th century onwards. In a way, it was also a return to Italy and its great tradition of studies on the 19th century.

JU – The book addresses the “Lombroso galaxy” as an international network of ideas and influences. How do you analyze the impact of this network in the current context of the social sciences?

Livio Sansone –The Lombroso school of thought was particularly influential in the social sciences throughout Latin America until the 1920s. That stance, which I call "Lombrosianism," persisted until the Second World War, mainly in the marginal areas of the social sciences, such as psychiatry, endocrinology, police science, and forensic anthropology. From the late 1930s onwards, with the late creation of universities in Brazil and the growing importance of exchanges with France and, above all, with the USA, in a context where Latin America already occupied a subordinate position, the influences of the Italian Positive School were relegated to the past, although they still exert some influence on common sense.

JU – What was the research process like in the different Latin American countries? What were the main challenges?

Livio Sansone My research focused on Brazil, Argentina, and Cuba. If I had had more time, I certainly would have continued investigating other countries where the galaxy had a great impact – first and foremost Mexico, and then Colombia, Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. The great advantage was not needing visas (in Cuba, visas are granted at the airport). The biggest challenge was the precariousness of the archives, even those of "Lombrosian" authors like Fernando Ortiz, José Ingenieros, and even more so Nina Rodrigues, in addition to the still limited reach of digitization and online availability of important newspapers, such as... La Nacion, from Buenos Aires, and The state of Sao Paulo.

JU – Throughout your research, what was the most surprising or unexpected aspect of the impact of Cesare Lombroso's ideas in Latin America?

Livio Sansone – The great harmony between the Italian physiognomic tradition – the attempt to interpret behavior from the observation of the body and expressions – and the way of interpreting and organizing social and racial relations in Latin America, which functions much more through appearance than through any racial essence. Moreover, both Italy and the countries of our region are, let's say, baroque societies. This would perhaps be the true link between the "Latin" countries.

JU – In what ways can this work contribute to understanding racial issues in Brazil today?

Livio Sansone My research corroborates, among other things, that the relevance of Lombrosianism is not due to its supposed scientific accuracy, but to the fact that it fit well into the priorities of the intellectual elites of the time, focusing on the interpretation of the behavior of certain groups considered problematic based on their aesthetics. The research also shows how Brazil's self-image, and its social and racial issues, was and continues to be constructed and evaluated based on external models, as well as on the reinterpretation of theories "that come from outside" and that are knowingly and conveniently cannibalized – first by Italy and, later, by France and, above all, the USA. It was and continues to be a great game of mirrors.

TitleThe Lombroso Galaxy: The Extraordinary Popularity of Cesare Lombroso and Lombrosianism in Latin America
OrganizationLivio Sansone
Edition: 1th 
Vintage: 2024 
Pages: 240
Dimensions: 16 cm x 23 cm