This impressive collaborative work by an economist and a demographer is a well-integrated collection of papers geared to the theme of “the demographic dimensions of Brazilian economic development” (p. xvii). Historical sections occupy about half the text, the contemporary period the other half.
All of the themes are highly relevant to students of Brazilian social and economic history. Especially strong is the treatment of the components in the growth of the Brazilian population from 1800 to 1970. Included is a well-documented account of the role of immigration, with an analysis of the concentration of immigrants in the southeastern and southern states.
On slavery, Merrick and Graham give a compact and tightly reasoned analysis of the demography of slavery and its relationship to trends in the labor force. Linked to this theme is the larger one of labor migration, on which the authors are able to shed much light by drawing on Graham and Holland’s earlier research using the “survival ratio” method. Although necessarily somewhat conjectural, the results are probably the closest we can come to establishing the approximate numbers involved in regional shifts in population and labor force supply.
On the latter subject, Graham and Merrick offer a wealth of information and analysis. They exploit the federal censuses to the maximum. Historians working in such areas as the history of labor organization, industrialization, and the effect of urbanization on social structure (especially the family) now have a single reference source giving the macroeconomic numbers. As Graham and Merrick readily acknowledge, the data are limited; their excellent compilation should now challenge researchers to search for new sources.
Fortunately, the authors have not limited themselves to collecting and synthesizing available data, although that is a formidable contribution. They also offer some interesting hypotheses, especially in comparing the demographic history of Brazil and the United States. Parallels—or lack thereof—are examined in fertility, slave reproduction rates, and immigrant contributions to population growth. I know of no other treatment as incisive and well informed on these oft discussed comparisons. The final chapter is a “concluding summary” of the book. Would that more works had such a superb overview.
Because this book takes an essentially historical approach, it will prove a vade mecum for historians wanting an authoritative synthesis of demographic data. Those specialists needing to go to the original sources will find expert help in Merrick and Graham’s careful explanations of their methodology. In sum, this book is a superb illustration of the kind of social-science writing that historians can ill afford to overlook.
