Karl Marx in Brazil: the reading capital of Capital (1958–2014)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The national appropriations of Marx’s work have received two kinds of approaches. On the one hand, Marxists have dealt with the topic based on their internal disputes, elaborating “genealogies of ideas” in the service of demanding “ideological coherence” from each other or highlighting faithful interpretations and supposed betrayals. On the other hand, the field of historical sociology has neglected to address the transnational circulation of the work of Marx and Marxist authors. This area has accepted the current theoretical hierarchy, in which Marxism has no credibility – therefore, studies about its presence in the scientific field are unnecessary. Contrary to these two trends, the following article does not judge the value of Marx’s work. It focuses on the disputes surrounding its legitimate readings and uses, by addressing the main initiative that lifted this author out of a marginal position and turned him into an unavoidable figure in Brazil: the first university reading circle of Capital in the country started in 1958 at the University of São Paulo (USP). This is followed by an in-depth analysis of the determining factors behind Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s membership in that initiative and his stance on capitalism, slavery, and Marxism. Then, it defines the “reading capital” (in a Bourdieusian sense) of Capital and addresses its fate in current times.