The Roots of Neoliberalism in Brazil: A Sociological Analysis of the Process of Trade Liberalization
Author: Fontes, Leonardo O, leo.ofontes@gmail.com
Department: Sociology
University: Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Brazil
Supervisor: Brasilio Sallum Jr.
Year of completion: In progress
Language of dissertation: Portuguese
Keywords:
neoliberalism
, social classes
, comercial liberaliza
Areas of Research:
Social Transformations and Sociology of Development
, Social Classes and Social Movements
, Political Sociology
Abstract
The aim of this study is to provide an analysis about the process of trade liberalization in Brazil. This process, occurring in the early 1990s, took place in the context of a political crisis with the the transition to democracy as well as the economic crisis arising from the 1980s. Thus, this dissertation examines, from a sociological perspective, this process that is commonly analyzed only from an economic approach. The goal, then, is to understand the socio-political arrangement engendered by trade liberalization that, according to the hypothesis proposed here, was fundamental for the articulation of a new hegemonic arrangement in Brazil. Our focus is on the correlation of social forces during this period, both in material and ideological terms, and we seek to understand the meaning-making of actors involved in this process.
