2. Francisco Campos: an intellectual and politician of the authoritarian Brazil of the thirties

• In Event: Intellectuals and politics in the Ibero-American world

Abstract

Our objective with this paper is to conduct an analysis of the political discourse of Francisco Campos. Using Quentin Skinner's reflections as a reference, we are interested in analyzing his discourse in terms of form and content, especially highlighting the intellectual connections made by him, based on the references contained in his books and is his discourses in national press. The importance of studying the political thinking of Francisco Campos lies in the fact that he was one of the main intellectuals inspiring the authoritarian regime of the Estado Novo, in addition to being responsible for constructing the whole legal apparatus of the new regime, from its Constitution to its principal legal codes. As Vargas's Minister of Justice, he acted as an architect of the main institutions that, over a period of 15 years, provided support to the regime. It is also important to highlight the main intellectual references that appear in the work by Francisco Campos, to identify his main sources of inspiration. As for the way the texts were constructed, it is possible to highlight as well the use of figures of speech (metaphors and allegories) that refer to ancient Rome, especially to Caesar. Numerous literary figures such as Faust, Caliban, and Ariel, or mythological, like Medusa, Dionysius, Gorgon, or Jupiter are referenced. All those intellectual references and the way he built his “political grammar” are useful instruments to understand better Francisco Campos’ political thought.

Author

• Cláudia R Viscardi, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora