Dados is one of the most widely-read social sciences journals in Latin America. Created in 1966, it publishes innovative works, originating from academic research, by Brazilian and foreign authors. Edited by IESP-UERJ, it aims to reconcile scientific rigor and academic excellence with an emphasis on public debate based on the analysis of substantive issues of society and politics.
Dados vol. 30 n. 2 Rio de Janeiro 1987
Abstract
In the sixties and early seventies three Marxist interpretations dominated the intellectual discourse about Brazilian politics: Bresser Pereira labels them the "functional-capitalist", the "imperialistsuperexploitation", and the "new dependency" interpretations. In all these approaches political Institutions and processes in a capitalist society were seen as nothing more than expressions of class interests. They were only "formally" democratic. The only solution was to replace them with socialist political forms. Especially since the early - mid-seventies new tendencies have become influential. These more recent approaches legitimate democratic political institutions in capitalist societies, respect minority rights, honor divergent interests, and value civility and mutual tolerance in political interactions. Three expressions of the new tendencies are analyzed in this article: a) changes within Brazilian Marxism, b) the increasing importance of political-liberalism, and e) the dramatic expansion of new social science approaches. The causes of these new tendencies are both internal to the intellectual community and external to it in political events. These factors both sustain and threaten the new tendencies. On the whole, the new discourse tends to be more conducive to the consolidation of Brazilian democracy than the earlier discourse.
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