Acknowledgements
In preparing this English version of my book, I was able to count on the help of several people and institutions to which I wish to express here my sincere gratitude.
The revision of the text as well as the addition of the postface and bibliography were made possible by research that I carried out in London in 2019 with the support of a fellowship granted by the Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo). I am also grateful to Alfredo Saad Filho for welcoming me so warmly to the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the London University during the research period.
I would like to thank Nicolas Allen, who first translated the Introduction and Chapter 1, revised and incorporated by Martin Nicholl into his patient and meticulous work on the rest of the book. My collaboration with Martin was very productive and for that I wish to express to him my deep appreciation.
Finally, special thanks are due to my colleagues in the History Department at the University of São Paulo for their understanding during my research stays in Berlin and London.