The initial idea for this project evolved from discussions with colleagues in about 1964. Originally, the plan was to undertake a comparative study of communities in northeast Brazil, northern Chile, and northwest Mexico. With the completion of the Brazilian work, a portion of the investigation was replicated in Chile and Mexico as originally planned.

Preparatory work was undertaken in Brazil during 1967 with the support of a sabbatical leave from the University of California and a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, administered through the university's Dry Lands Research Institute. Development of research instruments and some pretesting were done during 1968 and 1969 in Baja California and in the Mexican–American community of South Colton, where I was able to coordinate the activities of two seminars of students. Research in two towns of the backlands or sertão of northeast Brazil was first carried out in summer 1969; these towns were Juazeiro and Petrolina, on opposite banks of the Sāo Francisco River, in the states of Bahia and Pernambuco respectively. This investigation consisted of identification of the power structure in each community; initial interviews with leaders, decision makers, and knowledgeable or influential persons; and some background research into the history of the region. Between March and June 1971, with a sabbatical leave from the University of California and a grant from the Organization of American States, I turned to a survey among high school seniors and semiprojective interviews with eleven- and thirteen-year-old sons and daughters of members of the elite ruling classes.