José Guilherme Merquior (April 22, 1941 – January 7, 1991) was a Brazilian diplomat, academic, writer, literary critic and philosopher.

Biography

He was a prolific writer, and member of the

Academia Brasileira de Letras The Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL) ( English: ''Brazilian Academy of Letters'') is a Brazilian literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its foundation on Tue ...

(the Brazilian Academy of Letters). He had a doctorate in sociology from the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 milli ...

, which was directed by

Ernest Gellner Ernest André Gellner FRAI (9 December 1925 – 5 November 1995) was a British- Czech philosopher and social anthropologist described by ''The Daily Telegraph'', when he died, as one of the world's most vigorous intellectuals, and by ''The ...

. Merquior also studied under

Claude Lévi-Strauss Claude Lévi-Strauss (, ; 28 November 1908 – 30 October 2009) was a French anthropologist and ethnologist whose work was key in the development of the theories of structuralism and structural anthropology. He held the chair of Social Anthr ...

(whose ideas Merquior would largely repudiate in ''From Prague to Paris''), and took guidance from the likes of

Raymond Aron Raymond Claude Ferdinand Aron (; 14 March 1905 – 17 October 1983) was a French philosopher, sociologist, political scientist, historian and journalist, one of France's most prominent thinkers of the 20th century. Aron is best known for his 19 ...

Harry Levin Harry Tuchman Levin (July 18, 1912 – May 29, 1994) was an American literary critic and scholar of both modernism and comparative literature. Life and career Levin was born in Minneapolis, the son of Beatrice Hirshler (née Tuchman) and Isador ...

, and

Arnaldo Momigliano Arnaldo Dante Momigliano (5 September 1908 – 1 September 1987) was an Italian historian of classical antiquity, known for his work in historiography, and characterised by Donald Kagan as "the world's leading student of the writing of history ...

. He published books written directly in French, English, Italian, and his native Portuguese. Merquior divided his published works in two segments. In one the bulk was criticism ''per se''; in the other the emphasis was the

history of ideas Intellectual history (also the history of ideas) is the study of the history of human thought and of intellectuals, people who conceptualize, discuss, write about, and concern themselves with ideas. The investigative premise of intellectual his ...

, or more specific investigations like the highly esteemed study of

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

and

Max Weber Maximilian Karl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German sociologist, historian, jurist and political economist, who is regarded as among the most important theorists of the development of modern Western society. His ideas p ...

. Two of his books, '' Foucault'' (1985), an often scathing critique of

Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault (, ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French philosopher, historian of ideas, writer, political activist, and literary critic. Foucault's theories primarily address the relationship between power and knowledge, and ho ...

for the

Fontana Modern Masters The Fontana Modern Masters was a series of pocket guides on writers, philosophers, and other thinkers and theorists who shaped the intellectual landscape of the twentieth century. The first five titles were published on 12 January 1970 by Fontana ...

series, and ''

Western Marxism Western Marxism is a current of Marxist theory that arose from Western and Central Europe in the aftermath of the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the ascent of Leninism. The term denotes a loose collection of theorists who advanced an i ...

'' (1986), were described as "minor classics" by Catholic scholar (and later, white nationalist) Gregory R. Johnson.Johnson, Gregory R.
Without Sense or Reference
, review of Merquior's ''From Prague to Paris: A Critique of Structuralist and Post-Structuralist Thought.'' Merquior was a major supporter of the

Fernando Collor de Mello Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello (; born 12 August 1949) is a Brazilian politician who served as the 32nd president of Brazil from 1990 to 1992, when he resigned in a failed attempt to stop his impeachment trial by the Brazilian Senate. Collor ...

government and wrote many of Collor's public speeches. He died of cancer in January 1991, before Collor's downfall in 1992.

Books

:''Published in Portuguese'' * 1963: Poesia do Brasil, (antologia com

Manuel Bandeira Manuel Carneiro de Sousa Bandeira Filho (April 19, 1886 – October 13, 1968) was a Brazilian poet, literary critic, and translator, who wrote over 20 books of poetry and prose. Life and career Bandeira was born in Recife, Pernambuco. In 190 ...

) * 1965: Razão do Poema * 1969: Arte e Sociedade em Marcuse, Adorno e Benjamin * 1972: A astúcia da mímese * 1972: Saudades do Carnaval * 1974: Formalismo e tradição moderna * 1975: O estruturalismo dos pobres e outras questões * 1975: A estética de Lévi-Strauss * 1976: Verso e universo de Drummond * 1977: De Anchieta a Euclides * 1980: O fantasma romântico e outros ensaios * 1981: As idéias e as formas * 1982: A natureza do processo * 1983: O argumento liberal * 1983: O elixir do Apocalipse * 1985:

ou O niilismo da cátedra * 1987: O marxismo ocidental * 1990: Crítica * 1990:

Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

Weber Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning " weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'. Notable pe ...

: dois estudos sobre a teoria da legitimidade * 1991: De Praga a Paris: uma crítica do estruturalismo e do pensamento pós-estruturalista * 1991: O liberalismo, antigo e moderno * 1997: O véu e a máscara :''Published in English'' * 1979: The veil and the mask: Essays on culture and ideology * 1980: Rousseau and Weber: Two studies in the theory of legitimacy * 1985:

Foucault (Merquior book) ''Foucault'' is a book by José Guilherme Merquior about the French philosopher Michel Foucault, first published in 1985. Overview Merquior's assessment of Foucault's work is largely negative; he argues that Foucault's work is marked by fact ...

* 1987: From Prague to Paris: A Critique of Structuralist and Post-Structuralist Thought * 1991: Western Marxism * 1991: Liberalism, Old and New * 1991: Foucault :''Published in French'' * 1986: Foucault ou le nihilisme de la chaire :''Published in Spanish'' * 1996 Liberalismo Viejo y Nuevo * 2005 El Comportamiento de Las Musas :''In memoriam'' * 1996 Liberalism in Modern Times - Essays in Honour of José G. Merquior. Edited by

and César Cansino

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merquior, Jose Guilherme 1941 births 1991 deaths 20th-century Brazilian philosophers Alumni of the London School of Economics Ambassadors of Brazil to Mexico Anti-communism in Brazil Brazilian diplomats Brazilian literary critics Brazilian male writers Brazilian philosophers Brazilian social liberals Brazilian sociologists Conservatism in Brazil Critics of Marxism Foucault scholars Liberalism in Brazil Members of the Brazilian Academy of Letters Scholars of Marxism Writers from Rio de Janeiro (city)

Biography

Books

See also

References