A Teoria Marxista da Dependência em Ruy Mauro Marini: marcos de uma problemática no contexto do pensamento social brasileiro

Abstract

Since the essay Dialética da Dependência [Dialectics of Dependence], by Ruy Mauro Marini, was first published in Brazil, a series of efforts have been undertaken to recover the author s work and thought. These initiatives have produced many publications and academic events in all different branches of the human and social sciences. Together with Vânia Bambirra e Theotônio dos Santos, Marini founded the tradition of the Marxist Theory of Dependence (MTD) in Brazil. His analyses investigate the historical and social determinations that can explain the underdevelopment of Latin-American countries. The dependence studies, in the context of Marxism tradition in Latin-America, produce a worthwhile set of questions and interpretative possibilities. By attempting to identify the particular basis of the dependent capitalism in the context of the world market expansion, these studies reveal the interrelation of aspects that restrain and subordinate the national economies of Latin-America to a process of permanent spoliation. The MTD analysis demonstrates, however, that this depletion is supported by the association of the dominant interests established both international and nationally against the living conditions of Latin-American people. Marini's particular contribution to the MTD correlates three concepts, which are: the unequal exchange, the over-exploitation of work and the sub-imperialism. The objective of this thesis is to analyze the bounds of Marini's contributions as an expression of the Marxist thought tradition in Brazil and in Latin-America in the context of the class struggle in the region. This implies not only to grasp the context in which these contributions were produced but, also, to consider Marini's work as a whole, to establish connections among different moments of his thought and also to contemplate his dialogue with his contemporaries. At last, we intend to understand the immanent movement of his thought inserted in history in its concreteness. To accomplish these main objectives we have made a bibliographic and documental research that pursued four secondary objectives: a) to understand the Brazilian scenario between the late 1950's and the beginning of the 1980's; b) to study reference texts produced by authors and movements that characterized the political and intellectual of this period and were considered relevant to the debate proposed by the MTD; c) to study the main publications by Dos Santos, Bambirra e Marini particularly those produced in the period between 1965 and 1979, when the main questions of the MTD were, in our view, outlined; d) to analyze Marini's texts related to the main subjects of this research from the perspective of classic authors of the tradition of Marxism.