Lucien Febvre no caminho das mentalidades

Abstract

This essay recovers part of Lucien Febvre's work, focusing particularly on the issue of mentalités. Basically, two works are analyzed: The Problem of Disbelief in the Sixteenth Century and On theHeptameron, both written in the 1940s. The article seeks to trace the paths taken by the author in delineating a problem, and to find the particularity of his work, wich has to do with the understanding of "man" and his attitudes. It remains important to reflect upon how these questions had been treated before Febvre began his studies, showing what were the legacies or traces that allowed this historian to introduce his mentality perspective to the field of historical knowledge. Hence, I do not wish to say that Lucien Febvre was a pioneer in mentalité history, but rather point out that his trajectory was unique, which is the main theme of this essay.