Women and socialism: incorporation of feminine emancipation into the social democratic agenda Joana El-Jaick Andrade The relevant role played by Marxist theorists of the Second International, especially August Bebel, made possible the organized feminist movement, with a view toward the creation of an emancipating socialist project capable of ending gender and class oppression. The actions of women, as part of a project for the re-foundation of society on new bases and the overcoming of hierarchical social relations, pushed forward the conquest of innumerable rights recognized by contemporary legislation. Keywords: Social democracy. Feminine emancipation. Socialism. August Bebel.
Spies and barbarians: The love that didn’t dare say its name in the Soviet Union Diego Santos Vieira de Jesus The goal of this article is to propose the reexamination of the accounts of the supposed benevolence of the Soviet government toward masculine homosexuality from 1917 to 1934. The decriminalization of sodomy in the early years of the Revolution did not mean that masculine homosexuality was not vulnerable to persecution. The myth of “Russian innocence” helped to construct an image of heterosexuality as the natural pattern of the social fabric. Keywords: Russia. Soviet Union. Homosexuality. State.
The restructuring of capital and state policies: their repercussions on work and primary education Celia Regina Congilio Neoliberalism was introduced into education in Brazil initially in a weak version by José Sarney and then with greater vigor at the beginning of the 1990s by Fernando Collor de Mello. It became manifest in the Law of Basic Directives in 1996, which was promulgated during the Government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso and has been updated through successive amendments during the Lula administration. Keywords: Neoliberalism. State. Work. Education.
Tendencies in the configuration of work in the telecommunications sector in Brazil Sávio Cavalcante More than ten years after the sale of the state telecommunications companies, this article tries to point out some tendencies in the configuration of forms of labor in this sector, which have been modified significantly since the reforms of the FHC government. In this context of change, whose principle characteristic is the major increase in outsourcing, it is possible to perceive that the increase in the number of jobs did not bring with it general improvements in work conditions. This situation has brought about a redefinition of union struggles and actions. Finally, we point out some possible changes in this scenario recently. Keywords: Telecommunications. Work. Outsourcing. Unions.
The ideology of “coalition presidentialism” Danilo Enrico Martuscelli The expression “coalition presidentialism” has been used to characterize the politicalinstitutional regime constituted in Brazil since 1988. This notion has supported the idea that Brazil is undergoing a process of democratic consolidation in recent years. The purpose of this article is to explore the extent and limits of the notion of “coalition presidentialism,” as well as to present an analytical alternative to explain the nature of the political regime that exists in Brazil. Keywords: Coalition presidentialism. Democracy. Brazilian politics. Civilian authoritarianism.
Direct Elections Now: the search for democracy and its limits Vanderlei Elias Nery This article analyzes three books on the Direct Elections Now campaign. Beginning with a small demonstration in Goiânia in early 1983, the campaign grew throughout that year, gathering together more than a million people in its final demonstration in January 1984 in the capital of the state of São Paulo. The campaign polarized Brazilian society because it proposed direct election of the President of the Republic, after a long period of civil-military dictatorship. The government was trying to insure that the next president would be elected through an electoral college, while the opposition tried to disrupt that process. Our analysis, based on a Marxist theory of the State, tries to demonstrate the commitment of those efforts to the idea of broadening democratic and citizenship spaces in Brazil, and to underscore the limits that resulted from that choice of strategy. Keywords: Direct Elections Now. State. Democracy. Marxist theory.
U.S. hegemony: ascent or decline? José Rubens Mascarenhas de Almeida We address the debate on the possible decline of the U.S. empire, which developed above all during the 1990s, by looking at the analyses of a series of critical and pro-United States authors, during a conjuncture in which the economy of that country was experiencing short cycles of growth and increasingly long crises. The current crisis of capitalism goes beyond its financial aspects and the spending that is occurring in order to overcome it is astronomical and is occurring in a very short span of time. In this context, the symbiosis between U.S. hegemony and transnational capitalism demonstrates that the crisis of one is inseparable from the crisis of the other. Keywords: Hegemony. Imperialism. Transnationalism.
DOSSIER: LATIN AMERICA: NEW CHALLENGES, NEW ANALYSIS
The occupation of the Caribbean and the chess of world domination Ana Esther Ceceña In this article the author examines the United States military presence in the Caribbean, reinforced after the earthquake that occurred in Haiti on January 12. Taking advantage of the tragedy that affected the devastated country, the U.S. government redesigned its presence in the region and increased its control over Latin America by sending more troops, ships and equipment that will permit it to easily and rapidly reach any country that offers it resistance. Keywords: Caribbean. Occupation. Haiti. United States. Domination.
The Bolivarian Revolution: a political revolution from below? Jair Pinheiro This article is comprised of two exploratory hypotheses, one theoretical, the other empirical. The first consists of a brief reflection on the concept of political revolution and its application to the transition to socialism; the second, an empirical case that illustrates the first, consists of a comparison between some clauses of the Bolivarian Constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Brazil, along with a brief examination of the conjuncture ushered in by the Caracazo of 1989. Keywords: Bolivarian Revolution. Socialism.Transition.
Government of Evo Morales: permanences, changes and challenges Pablo Stefanoni What changed in Bolivia during the first administration of Evo Morales? This article analyzes the public policies of the Bolivian Government, with emphasis on radical democracy, progress in building social equality, the relationship with the military and ideological frameworks and development models. Thus, it is possible to calibrate continuities and ruptures, moderation and radicalism, and potential and limits of the current process of change taking place in Bolivia since 2006. Keywords: Evo Morales. Internal colonialism. State. Developmentalism. Communitarianism.
Bolivia and Ecuador: the State against the indigenous people Raúl Zibechi The author makes a critical analysis of the governments of Evo Morales, in Bolivia, and Rafael Correa, in Ecuador. The social and political processes in both countries are like two peas in a pod. Both approved a Plurinational State and new constitutions, but when it came time to apply their ideas they were faced with serious obstacles. The indigenous base groups and the urban popular sectors brought Morales and Correa to power, and those same groups are now protesting against “their” governments. Keywords: Plurinational State. Original peoples. Morales’s government. Correa’s government.
Imperialism and subimperialism in South America: the cases of Malvinas and Roboré Ramon Casas Vilarino In this article we examine imperialism in South America through the examples of the incursions of Great Britain and Brazil into Argentina and Bolivia, respectively, with the consent of the United States. In both cases, the issue of oil exploitation is a motivation. In the first, the conflict is reignited almost thirty years after the war between the two countries and, in the second, the tensions have their roots in the 19 th century, developing over time with the presence of Petrobrás in the neighboring country. Keywords: Imperialism. Oil. Malvinas. Roboré.
Nationalism and anti-imperialism in a text by Mariátegui Lúcio Flávio Rodrigues de Almeida In Latin America we see national projects promoted by social movements and governments that purport to be anti-systemic. Several of the former and at least two of the latter have a strong indigenist component. With the goal of contributing to the study of the relationship between nationalism and anti-imperialism in the subcontinent, we undertake in this article a preliminary analysis of an important book by José Carlos Mariátegui. Keywords: Nationalism. Anti-imperialism. Anticapitalism. Mariátegui.
BOOK REVIEWS Aconteceu longe demais: a luta pela terra dos posseiros em Formoso e Trombas e a revolução brasileira (1950-1964) – de Paulo Ribeiro da Cunha The stormy peasant struggle in Brazil by Angélica Lovatto
Da miséria ideológica à crise do capital: uma reconciliação histórica – de Maria Orlanda Pinassi From the critical to praxis: in search of a Marxism for the twenty-first century by Fabio Mascaro Querido
A utopia nacionalista de Hélio Jaguaribe: os tempos do ISEB – de Angélica Lovatto The illusion of national developmentalism by Maria Angélica Borges