This book examines the development of the state, the nation, and the economy on the far western frontier of Brazil during the period of the Brazilian Empire. The author argues that the province of Goias, although physically in the center of Brazil, was effectively the far edge of the Empire, thanks to poverty and poor communications. Goias thus provides a useful test case of the limits and effectiveness of nation-building and state-building and of economic integration into national and international economies during these years. The inhabitants of Goias successfully struggled to develop an...