Sérgio Paulo Rouanet (23 February 1934 – 3 July 2022) was a Brazilian diplomat, philosopher, essayist, and scholar. He was the national Secretary of Culture between 1991 and 1992, and in his tenure he created the ''Lei de Incentivo à Cultura'' (Culture Incentive Law), a

tax credit A tax credit is a tax incentive which allows certain taxpayers to subtract the amount of the credit they have accrued from the total they owe the state. It may also be a credit granted in recognition of taxes already paid or a form of state "dis ...

law for companies and citizens that sponsor cultural activities, which became known as Rouanet Law. Rouanet was a member of the

Brazilian Academy of Letters 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 ...

since 1992 to his death.

Early life and career

Born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

, he graduated in

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...

at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. He got a master's degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, in

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

, philosophy from the

New York School for Social Research The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

and also a doctorate from the

University of São Paulo The University of São Paulo ( pt, Universidade de São Paulo, USP) is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian public university and the country's most prestigious educational institution, the bes ...

. Rouanet was a general consul of Brazil in Zurich from 1976 to 1982 and Brazilian ambassador in Denmark from 1987 to 1991, when he was appointed by then president

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 ...

to occupy the national Secretary of Culture. After Collor de Mello's impeachment, in 1992, Rouanet resigned and was appointed general consul of Brazil in Berlin from 1993 to 1995 and ambassador in Czech Republic from 1995 to 2000.

Death

Rouanet died from Parkinson's disease on 3 July 2022, in Rio de Janeiro.

Books

* ''O homem é o discurso Arqueologia de Michel Foucault'', with

José Guilherme Merquior 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 Brazilian Acade ...

(1971); * ''Imaginário e dominação'' (1978); * ''Habermas'', with Bárbara Freitag (1980) * ''Édipo e o anjo''. Itinerários freudianos em Walter Benjamin (1981) * ''Teoria crítica e psicanálise'' (1983) * ''A razão cativa. As ilusões da consciência: de Platão a Freud'' (1985) * ''As razões do Iluminismo'' (1987) * ''O espectador noturno. A Revolução Francesa através de Rétif de la Bretonne'' (1988) * ''A coruja e o sambódromo'' (1988) * ''A latinidade como parado'' (1999) * ''A razão nômade: Walter Benjamin e outros viajantes'' (1994) * ''Mal-estar na modernidade'' (2001) * ''Os dez amigos de Freud'' (2003) * ''Idéias: da cultura global à universal'' (2003) * ''Riso e Melancolia'' (2007) * ''Criação no Brasil de uma Escola Superior de Administração Pública'' (1982) * ''Rouanet 80 anos'' (2016).

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rouanet, Sergio Paulo 1934 births 2022 deaths Brazilian diplomats Brazilian philosophers Brazilian essayists Brazilian political scientists Ministers of Culture of Brazil Members of the Brazilian Academy of Letters People from Rio de Janeiro (city) Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro alumni George Washington University alumni Recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit (Brazil) Ambassadors of Brazil to Denmark Ambassadors of Brazil to the Czech Republic Deaths from Parkinson's disease Brazilian people of French descent