Rafael Andrade / FolhapressLuiz Werneck Vianna at his home in Rio de Janeiro, 2011Rafael Andrade / Folhapress
One of the most influential Brazilian thinkers in social sciences, Luiz Werneck Vianna explored topics such as democracy, Brazil’s modernization, and the judicialization of politics. He was instrumental in introducing the ideas of the Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937) to Brazil through works like A Revolução Passiva: Iberismo e Americanismo no Brasil (The passive revolution: Iberism and Americanism in Brazil; Revan, 1997). He passed away on February 21 at the age of 85 in Rio de Janeiro.
“Werneck influenced generations of social scientists, both professionally and personally,” remarks Maria Alice Rezende de Carvalho, a professor of sociology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RJ) and his friend of over four decades. “He was a thundering orator. His dramatic presence and forceful tone were unforgettable,” recalls sociologist Angela Alonso from the School of Philosophy, Languages and Literature, and Humanities at the University of São Paulo (FFLCH-USP).
Born on October 14, 1938, in Rio de Janeiro, Werneck Vianna grew up in the affluent beachside neighborhood of Ipanema. Despite attending elite schools, events such as World War II (1939–1945) and local nationalist movements sparked an interest in social issues at a young age.
He completed his law degree at Guanabara State University (now Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ) in 1962, and two years later enrolled in an undergraduate social sciences program at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), completing his studies in 1967. He later enrolled for the first master’s program in political science at the University Research Institute of Rio de Janeiro (IUPERJ), in 1969. But before he could complete his dissertation, he was forced to exile in Chile in 1970 due to persecution from the military regime. In 1971, he returned to Brazil where he was placed in detention for six months in Rio de Janeiro. He moved to São Paulo and completed his doctorate in sociology at USP, between 1973 and 1976, under the guidance of political science professor Francisco Weffort (1937–2021).
His thesis evolved into one of his first books, Liberalismo e sindicato no Brasil (Liberalism and unions in Brazil; Paz e Terra, 1976). “He helped to show that our capitalist modernization had extremely conservative underpinnings and how this deeply marked the country’s political life and shaped its possibilities for democratic progress,” explains Maria Hermínia Tavares de Almeida, emeritus professor of political science at USP and researcher at the Brazilian Center for Analysis and Planning (CEBRAP).
Werneck Vianna published prolifically in collaboration with Carvalho, from PUC-RJ. They coauthored four seminal books on democracy and law, such as Judicialização da política e das relações sociais no Brasil (Judicialization of politics and social relations in Brazil; Revan, 1998). The two were co-faculty at IUPERJ, now the UERJ Institute of Social and Political Studies, where Werneck Vianna taught from 1980 to 2010. The following year, he transferred to the Department of Sociology and Politics at PUC-RJ.
“He actively contributed to the institutionalization of social sciences in Brazil,” says Milton Lahuerta, a political science professor at São Paulo State University (UNESP). Among other positions, he chaired the National Association for Graduate Studies and Research in Social Sciences (ANPOCS) between 2002 and 2004.
Werneck Vianna passed away after battling with chronic lung disease. He is survived by his children João Pedro, Juliano, Marina, and Salvador—from his marriage to Maria Lúcia Teixeira Werneck Vianna, a retired professor of social sciences at UFRJ—nine grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He also leaves behind psychoanalyst Heloísa Occhiuze dos Santos, his companion of 20 years.
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