The Normative Claims of Brazil’s Democratic Ethos

The normative claims of Brazil’s democratic ethos:
Bourdieu’s habitus, critical theory, and social philosophy
As exigências normativas do ethos democrático brasileiro:
O habitus em Bourdieu, teoria crítica e filosofia social Nythamar de Oliveira*

Abstract: This paper argues for an interdisciplinary interlocution between social theory and social philosophy in order to recast the problem of normativity in social practices, especially within Brazil’s democratic ethos. By resorting to insights from critical theory and social epistemology, the essay proposes to reexamine Bourdieu’s conception of habitus so as to contribute to a moderate social constructionism that cannot be reduced to a postmodernist discourse or to a variant of relativism.
Keywords: critical theory; democratic ethos; habitus; normativity; social philosophy

Resumo: O artigo defende uma interlocução interdisciplinar entre teoria social e filosofia social, com o fito de reformular o problema da normatividade nas práticas sociais, especialmente no contexto de um ethos democrático brasileiro. Recorrendo a aportes de teoria crítica e de epistemologia social, o texto propõe-se a reexaminar a concepção de habitus de Bourdieu, de forma a contribuir para um construcionismo social mitigado que não pode ser reduzido a um discurso pós-moderno ou a uma versão de relativismo.
Palavras-chave: ethos democrático; filosofia social; habitus; normatividade; teoria crítica

1. One of the best approaches to make sense of ongoing social, political problems in Brazil is by means of an interdisciplinary research program that takes into account both the complex historical and cultural makeup of the Brazilian people, including its modern quest for a national identity, and the
* Ph.D. in Phylosophy at State University of New York, Associate Professor at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. .
Civitas Porto Alegre v. 12 n. 1 p. 70-87 jan.-abr. 2012

N. Oliveira – The

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