Emergency and challenges of sociology in Brazil and Africa: a comparison between the theoretical perspectives of Florestan Fernandes and Elisio Macamo

Abstract

The non-central position occupied by Latin America and Africa in global intellectual relations shapes certain singularities of the production of knowledge in these regions, imposing both limitations and opportunities for critical development. This article tackles two aspects of this singularity. First, we discuss the social conditions of the process of emergence of sociology in Brazil and Africa, using the work of two sociologists who have contributed with important insights on this issue, namely, Florestan Fernandes and Elísio Macamo. Second, this article discusses some challenges for the contemporary sociology produced in Brazil and Africa using a comparative analysis of the perspectives of these two authors. This article points out, in contrast to perspectives that prioritize a “native” way of thinking, that sociology (and intellectual production in general) will be fruitful if one bears in mind an open dialogue between particular traditions of each nation and what is produced globally. The works of Fernandes and Macamo are concrete expressions of that sociology which can be achieved when it looks beyond national boundaries.