Translated and reviewed by Matheus Lucas Hebling
October 7, 2025
Published in the journal Cadernos de Campo, the article O liberalismo e os novos intérpretes do Brasil [Liberalism and the New Interpreters of Brazil], by André Silva de Oliveira (Federal University of Pernambuco, UFPE), examines a controversy between the political scientist Marcus Melo and the sociologist Jessé Souza. Taking that confrontation as his point of departure, the author investigates how disputes over the role of liberalism in the formation and functioning of Brazilian political institutions are configured today.
The debate sets two interpretive traditions against one another. On one side stand intellectuals who attribute the country’s deficit of liberalism to the excessive strengthening of the state and to the capture of its structures by political elites. On the other stand thinkers who regard liberalism as a foreign body within the national culture and hold it responsible for blocking popular participation. Marcus Melo and Jessé Souza update these two poles, offering divergent readings of the country’s political and institutional trajectory.
In his book A elite do atraso [The Elite of Backwardness], Jessé Souza criticizes the liberal tradition inaugurated by Sérgio Buarque de Holanda and reinforced by authors such as Raymundo Faoro and Roberto DaMatta. In his view, this perspective masks the role of economic and media elites in producing social exclusion. His methodological approach foregrounds class struggle and sees in Operação Lava Jato (Operation Car Wash) and in the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff examples of how anticorruption discourse can be instrumentalized to preserve privilege.
Marcus Melo, for his part, adopts an institutionalist lens, in dialogue with the “new institutionalism” of Douglass North and Daron Acemoglu. He argues that Brazilian politics was shaped by an illiberal tradition centered on the sanctification of the state, which constrained democratic consolidation. On his reading, Operação Lava Jato represented an institutional advance, strengthening mechanisms of oversight and balancing the political branches.
By setting these views in perspective, André Silva de Oliveira shows that the controversy is not merely a personal clash but reflects the persistence of a structural division within Brazilian political thought. His analysis brings out how different methodologies — institutionalism on one hand, class struggle on the other — lead to distinct diagnoses of central problems such as corruption, the functioning of institutions, and social inclusion.
The author concludes that, while irreconcilable on many points, the two currents could converge around a minimal set of questions, such as recognizing the interdependence of state and market and the need to confront corruption within the state. This possibility of consensus, difficult though it may be, is presented as an important step toward rethinking the paths available to democracy in Brazil.
In summary
- The article O liberalismo e os novos intérpretes do Brasil, by André Silva de Oliveira, examines the controversy between the political scientist Marcus Melo and the sociologist Jessé Souza.
- The debate reflects two historical traditions: one that sees a deficit of liberalism as the cause of fragile institutions, and another that charges liberalism with blocking popular participation.
- Jessé Souza criticizes the liberal tradition inaugurated by Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, focusing on class struggle and the role of economic elites.
- Marcus Melo adopts an institutionalist perspective and argues that Brazilian politics was shaped by an illiberal tradition, viewing Operação Lava Jato as an institutional advance.
- The author shows that the two views are methodologically irreconcilable, but suggests that a minimal consensus — recognizing the interdependence of state and market and confronting corruption — would be important for strengthening democracy.
About the author
André Silva de Oliveira holds a doctorate in Political Science from the Federal University of Pernambuco (Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, UFPE). He is a co-founder and was the first president of the Instituto Liberal do Pará (Liberal Institute of Pará), elected to the 2020–2022 term.
Publication details
Title: O liberalismo e os novos intérpretes do Brasil
Author: André Silva de Oliveira
Year of publication: 2022
Available in: Cadernos de Campo, no. 32
Keywords: liberalism in Brazil, interpreters of Brazil, Marcus Melo, Jessé Souza, Brazilian political thought, new institutionalism, class struggle, Operation Car Wash, anticorruption, Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, Raymundo Faoro, democratic consolidation, illiberalism, Brazilian institutions, political elites
