by PublicABCP
Translated and reviewed by Matheus Lucas Hebling
Published by Editora Dialética in 2024, the book Social Democracy on the Periphery: The Proposal in the PSDB’s Foundational Documents is the result of the master’s research conducted by Jeferson Alexandre Miranda, currently a PhD candidate in Political Science at Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar). The book analyzes how the Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (PSDB) incorporated and reinterpreted elements of the social-democratic tradition during its early years, between 1988 and 1994—a period marked by Brazil’s redemocratization.
The study examines the party’s initial records with the aim of understanding the theoretical and political adaptations involved in the reception of social democracy within a peripheral context such as Brazil’s.
The book is guided by a central question: although the PSDB has identified itself as social-democratic since its foundation, was it in fact aligned with this ideological tradition? Building on this question, the author seeks to understand how social democracy—particularly formulations associated with the Third Way—was interpreted and adjusted in the texts that gave rise to the party, at a moment of democratic transition in Brazil. The study offers a critical analysis of the PSDB’s initial partisan identity, contrasting the public image constructed in its early years with the paths the party would later follow in the national political arena.
To investigate the coherence between the PSDB’s founding discourse and its subsequent political practice, the author adopts an analytical approach centered on the documents that marked the party’s creation between 1988 and 1994. A close reading of these texts makes it possible to identify the theoretical references mobilized in the formulation of the party project, as well as elements that point to a possible ambivalence toward the social-democratic tradition.
The method seeks to reveal the extent to which the party already displayed, from its origins, traits that could signal future inflections in the political field, including a shift toward theses associated with neoliberalism.
By reconstructing the historical trajectory of social democracy, the author identifies key moments of inflection and internal debate within this political tradition, highlighting how it assumed distinct forms depending on national contexts.
In the Brazilian case, the analysis focuses on how the PSDB appropriated this ideological repertoire at the time of its founding, establishing a discursive link with the Third Way while incorporating elements that did not fully correspond to the classic European experience. The investigation shows that, even in its early texts, signs of conceptual and political ambivalence were already present.
One of the study’s main findings is the presence of national developmentalism as a structuring—albeit implicit—element of the party’s initial proposal. This presence suggests an additional layer of complexity in the way the PSDB constructed its ideological identity. The analysis demonstrates that the reception of social democracy in Brazil involved adjustments that reflected the country’s historical and institutional conditions, resulting in a proposal marked by internal tensions. These observations contribute to a broader understanding of how internationally originated ideas are reinterpreted and transformed when transplanted into peripheral realities.
The book contributes to debates on political parties and the circulation of ideas in Brazil. By focusing on the PSDB’s founding documents, the author presents an analytical method that can be applied to other partisan experiences, helping to explain how political projects are constructed through symbolic disputes and ideological accommodations.
The analysis of the PSDB’s early trajectory also sheds light on the limits and possibilities of adapting international ideological models to specific national contexts—a topic that remains highly relevant in light of the ongoing reconfigurations of Brazil’s political landscape.
Author Profile
Jeferson Alexandre Miranda is a PhD candidate in the Graduate Program in Political Science at the Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar). He holds postgraduate degrees in History, Culture and Power, as well as in the Teaching of History and Geography, and works as a secondary school teacher in the field of Humanities and Social Sciences (History and Geography).
Technical Information
Title: Social Democracy on the Periphery: The Proposal in the PSDB’s Foundational Documents
Author: Jeferson Alexandre Miranda
Publisher: Editora Dialética
Year of Publication: 2024
ISBN: 978-65-270-5672-0
Available from: Published by Editora Dialética in 2024, the book Social Democracy on the Periphery: The Proposal in the PSDB’s Foundational Documents is the result of the master’s research conducted by Jeferson Alexandre Miranda, currently a PhD candidate in Political Science at Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar). The book analyzes how the Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (PSDB) incorporated and reinterpreted elements of the social-democratic tradition during its early years, between 1988 and 1994—a period marked by Brazil’s redemocratization.
The study examines the party’s initial records with the aim of understanding the theoretical and political adaptations involved in the reception of social democracy within a peripheral context such as Brazil’s.
The book is guided by a central question: although the PSDB has identified itself as social-democratic since its foundation, was it in fact aligned with this ideological tradition? Building on this question, the author seeks to understand how social democracy—particularly formulations associated with the Third Way—was interpreted and adjusted in the texts that gave rise to the party, at a moment of democratic transition in Brazil. The study offers a critical analysis of the PSDB’s initial partisan identity, contrasting the public image constructed in its early years with the paths the party would later follow in the national political arena.
To investigate the coherence between the PSDB’s founding discourse and its subsequent political practice, the author adopts an analytical approach centered on the documents that marked the party’s creation between 1988 and 1994. A close reading of these texts makes it possible to identify the theoretical references mobilized in the formulation of the party project, as well as elements that point to a possible ambivalence toward the social-democratic tradition.
The method seeks to reveal the extent to which the party already displayed, from its origins, traits that could signal future inflections in the political field, including a shift toward theses associated with neoliberalism.
By reconstructing the historical trajectory of social democracy, the author identifies key moments of inflection and internal debate within this political tradition, highlighting how it assumed distinct forms depending on national contexts.
In the Brazilian case, the analysis focuses on how the PSDB appropriated this ideological repertoire at the time of its founding, establishing a discursive link with the Third Way while incorporating elements that did not fully correspond to the classic European experience. The investigation shows that, even in its early texts, signs of conceptual and political ambivalence were already present.
One of the study’s main findings is the presence of national developmentalism as a structuring—albeit implicit—element of the party’s initial proposal. This presence suggests an additional layer of complexity in the way the PSDB constructed its ideological identity. The analysis demonstrates that the reception of social democracy in Brazil involved adjustments that reflected the country’s historical and institutional conditions, resulting in a proposal marked by internal tensions. These observations contribute to a broader understanding of how internationally originated ideas are reinterpreted and transformed when transplanted into peripheral realities.
The book contributes to debates on political parties and the circulation of ideas in Brazil. By focusing on the PSDB’s founding documents, the author presents an analytical method that can be applied to other partisan experiences, helping to explain how political projects are constructed through symbolic disputes and ideological accommodations.
The analysis of the PSDB’s early trajectory also sheds light on the limits and possibilities of adapting international ideological models to specific national contexts—a topic that remains highly relevant in light of the ongoing reconfigurations of Brazil’s political landscape.
Author Profile
Jeferson Alexandre Miranda is a PhD candidate in the Graduate Program in Political Science at the Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar). He holds postgraduate degrees in History, Culture and Power, as well as in the Teaching of History and Geography, and works as a secondary school teacher in the field of Humanities and Social Sciences (History and Geography).
Technical Information
Title: Social Democracy on the Periphery: The Proposal in the PSDB’s Foundational Documents
Author: Jeferson Alexandre Miranda
Publisher: Editora Dialética
Year of Publication: 2024
ISBN: 978-65-270-5672-0
Available from:Published by Editora Dialética in 2024, the book Social Democracy on the Periphery: The Proposal in the PSDB’s Foundational Documents is the result of the master’s research conducted by Jeferson Alexandre Miranda, currently a PhD candidate in Political Science at Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar). The book analyzes how the Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (PSDB) incorporated and reinterpreted elements of the social-democratic tradition during its early years, between 1988 and 1994—a period marked by Brazil’s redemocratization.
The study examines the party’s initial records with the aim of understanding the theoretical and political adaptations involved in the reception of social democracy within a peripheral context such as Brazil’s.
The book is guided by a central question: although the PSDB has identified itself as social-democratic since its foundation, was it in fact aligned with this ideological tradition? Building on this question, the author seeks to understand how social democracy—particularly formulations associated with the Third Way—was interpreted and adjusted in the texts that gave rise to the party, at a moment of democratic transition in Brazil. The study offers a critical analysis of the PSDB’s initial partisan identity, contrasting the public image constructed in its early years with the paths the party would later follow in the national political arena.
To investigate the coherence between the PSDB’s founding discourse and its subsequent political practice, the author adopts an analytical approach centered on the documents that marked the party’s creation between 1988 and 1994. A close reading of these texts makes it possible to identify the theoretical references mobilized in the formulation of the party project, as well as elements that point to a possible ambivalence toward the social-democratic tradition.
The method seeks to reveal the extent to which the party already displayed, from its origins, traits that could signal future inflections in the political field, including a shift toward theses associated with neoliberalism.
By reconstructing the historical trajectory of social democracy, the author identifies key moments of inflection and internal debate within this political tradition, highlighting how it assumed distinct forms depending on national contexts.
In the Brazilian case, the analysis focuses on how the PSDB appropriated this ideological repertoire at the time of its founding, establishing a discursive link with the Third Way while incorporating elements that did not fully correspond to the classic European experience. The investigation shows that, even in its early texts, signs of conceptual and political ambivalence were already present.
One of the study’s main findings is the presence of national developmentalism as a structuring—albeit implicit—element of the party’s initial proposal. This presence suggests an additional layer of complexity in the way the PSDB constructed its ideological identity. The analysis demonstrates that the reception of social democracy in Brazil involved adjustments that reflected the country’s historical and institutional conditions, resulting in a proposal marked by internal tensions. These observations contribute to a broader understanding of how internationally originated ideas are reinterpreted and transformed when transplanted into peripheral realities.
The book contributes to debates on political parties and the circulation of ideas in Brazil. By focusing on the PSDB’s founding documents, the author presents an analytical method that can be applied to other partisan experiences, helping to explain how political projects are constructed through symbolic disputes and ideological accommodations.
The analysis of the PSDB’s early trajectory also sheds light on the limits and possibilities of adapting international ideological models to specific national contexts—a topic that remains highly relevant in light of the ongoing reconfigurations of Brazil’s political landscape.
Author Profile
Jeferson Alexandre Miranda is a PhD candidate in the Graduate Program in Political Science at the Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar). He holds postgraduate degrees in History, Culture and Power, as well as in the Teaching of History and Geography, and works as a secondary school teacher in the field of Humanities and Social Sciences (History and Geography).
Technical Information
Title: Social Democracy on the Periphery: The Proposal in the PSDB’s Foundational Documents
Author: Jeferson Alexandre Miranda
Publisher: Editora Dialética
Year of Publication: 2024
ISBN: 978-65-270-5672-0
Available from: Published by Editora Dialética in 2024, the book Social Democracy on the Periphery: The Proposal in the PSDB’s Foundational Documents is the result of the master’s research conducted by Jeferson Alexandre Miranda, currently a PhD candidate in Political Science at Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar). The book analyzes how the Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (PSDB) incorporated and reinterpreted elements of the social-democratic tradition during its early years, between 1988 and 1994—a period marked by Brazil’s redemocratization.
The study examines the party’s initial records with the aim of understanding the theoretical and political adaptations involved in the reception of social democracy within a peripheral context such as Brazil’s.
The book is guided by a central question: although the PSDB has identified itself as social-democratic since its foundation, was it in fact aligned with this ideological tradition? Building on this question, the author seeks to understand how social democracy—particularly formulations associated with the Third Way—was interpreted and adjusted in the texts that gave rise to the party, at a moment of democratic transition in Brazil. The study offers a critical analysis of the PSDB’s initial partisan identity, contrasting the public image constructed in its early years with the paths the party would later follow in the national political arena.
To investigate the coherence between the PSDB’s founding discourse and its subsequent political practice, the author adopts an analytical approach centered on the documents that marked the party’s creation between 1988 and 1994. A close reading of these texts makes it possible to identify the theoretical references mobilized in the formulation of the party project, as well as elements that point to a possible ambivalence toward the social-democratic tradition.
The method seeks to reveal the extent to which the party already displayed, from its origins, traits that could signal future inflections in the political field, including a shift toward theses associated with neoliberalism.
By reconstructing the historical trajectory of social democracy, the author identifies key moments of inflection and internal debate within this political tradition, highlighting how it assumed distinct forms depending on national contexts.
In the Brazilian case, the analysis focuses on how the PSDB appropriated this ideological repertoire at the time of its founding, establishing a discursive link with the Third Way while incorporating elements that did not fully correspond to the classic European experience. The investigation shows that, even in its early texts, signs of conceptual and political ambivalence were already present.
One of the study’s main findings is the presence of national developmentalism as a structuring—albeit implicit—element of the party’s initial proposal. This presence suggests an additional layer of complexity in the way the PSDB constructed its ideological identity. The analysis demonstrates that the reception of social democracy in Brazil involved adjustments that reflected the country’s historical and institutional conditions, resulting in a proposal marked by internal tensions. These observations contribute to a broader understanding of how internationally originated ideas are reinterpreted and transformed when transplanted into peripheral realities.
The book contributes to debates on political parties and the circulation of ideas in Brazil. By focusing on the PSDB’s founding documents, the author presents an analytical method that can be applied to other partisan experiences, helping to explain how political projects are constructed through symbolic disputes and ideological accommodations.
The analysis of the PSDB’s early trajectory also sheds light on the limits and possibilities of adapting international ideological models to specific national contexts—a topic that remains highly relevant in light of the ongoing reconfigurations of Brazil’s political landscape.
Author Profile
Jeferson Alexandre Miranda is a PhD candidate in the Graduate Program in Political Science at the Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar). He holds postgraduate degrees in History, Culture and Power, as well as in the Teaching of History and Geography, and works as a secondary school teacher in the field of Humanities and Social Sciences (History and Geography).
Technical Information
Title: Social Democracy on the Periphery: The Proposal in the PSDB’s Foundational Documents
Author: Jeferson Alexandre Miranda
Publisher: Editora Dialética
Year of Publication: 2024
ISBN: 978-65-270-5672-0
Available from: Editora Dialética
