The objectives are to investigate the characteristics of conservatism and liberalism in Brazil, verify whether the concepts of "organic idealism" and "constitutional idealism" are capable of describing and evaluating the principal "forms of thought" which have dominated Brazilian political and social thinking since the last quarter of the nineteenth century, and formulate a hypothesis on the way these currents of thought respond to the challenges raised by the country's political development. The analysis will focus less on the substantive content of ideologies and worldviews than on describing the underlying "forms of thought": intellectual structures and theoretical categories based on which reality is perceived, practical experience is elaborated, and political action is organized.

Dans cet article, le but est d'étudier les caractères du conservatisme et du libéralisme brésilien, en vérifiant si les concepts d' "idéalisme organique" et "idéalisme constitutionnel" sont susceptibles de décrire et évaluer les principales "formes de pensée" qui depuis les années 1870 ont dominé les idées politiques et sociales au Brésil. On souhaite aussi formuler une hypothèse sur la façon dont ces courants ont relevé les enjeux suscités par le développement politique du pays. L'intérêt principal e l'analyse sera moins tourné vers le contenu substantif des idéologies et conceptions du monde et davantage vers la description des "façons de penser" sous-jacentes - c'est-à-dire les structures intellectuelles et les catégories théoriques à partir desquelles on perçoit la réalité, on élabore l'expérience pratique et on organise l'action politique.

The objectives are to investigate the characteristics of conservatism and liberalism in Brazil, verify whether the concepts of "organic idealism" and "constitutional idealism" are capable of describing and evaluating the principal "forms of thought" which have dominated Brazilian political and social thinking since the last quarter of the 19th century, and formulate a hypothesis on the way these currents of thought respond to the challenges raised by the country’s political development. The analysis will focus less on the substantive content of ideologies and worldviews than on describing the underlying "forms of thought": intellectual structures and theoretical categories based on which reality is perceived, practical experience is elaborated, and political action is organized.

Dans cet article, le but est d'étudier les caractères du conservatisme et du libéralisme brésilien, en vérifiant si les concepts d' "idéalisme organique" et "idéalisme constitutionnel" sont susceptibles de décrire et évaluer les principales "formes de pensée" qui depuis les années 1870 ont dominé les idées politiques et sociales au Brésil. On souhaite aussi formuler une hypothèse sur la façon dont ces courants ont relevé les enjeux suscités par le développement politique du pays. L'intérêt principal e l'analyse sera moins tourné vers le contenu substantif des idéologies et conceptions du monde et davantage vers la description des "façons de penser" sous-jacentes - c'est-à-dire les structures intellectuelles et les catégories théoriques à partir desquelles on perçoit la réalité, on élabore l'expérience pratique et on organise l'action politique.

O cruzamento de uma trajetória intelectual e acadêmica muito particular com a especificidade do seu objeto preferencial de análise é reconstruído com referência a um dos mestres da era heróica da Ciência Política na USP, Oliveiros S. Ferreira, por ocasião de um seminário em sua homenagem.

The interplay of a very peculiar intellectual and academic trajectory with the particularity of its preferential subject of analysis is reconstructed with reference to one of the masters of the heroic age of Political Science at the University of São Paulo, Oliveiros S. Ferreira, on the occasion of a seminary dedicated to him.

Restringindo-se às décadas regidas pela Constituição de 1946, o artigo concentra-se no curto período em que o Partido Comunista pode ser considerado uma "esquerda positiva", segundo a conhecida distinção de Santiago Dantas. Descreve as principais características das "duas almas" que marcaram a atuação do partido e procura entender as razões de sua força e fraqueza, isto é, os motivos pelos quais, apesar de não pertencer ao sistema político legal, desempenhou um papel político e ideológico maior do que a sua expressão partidária, sindical e eleitoral.

With reference to the period inaugurated by the Constitution of 1946, this article focuses on the short time during which the Brazilian Communist Party could be seen as a (in Santiago Dantas'words). The "two souls" which could be recognized in the party's actions are described and the reasons for both its force and its weakness are examined.