Radical economist Maria da Conceição Tavares (who, in the video above, addresses students of economics and describes the subject as political economy, as a social science for which history—not mathematics—is central) was just awarded the highest scientific prize granted by the Brazilian government [ht: cb and gh].
In a recent interview, Tavares explained that,
Neoliberalism is not dead, it has its eyes wide open, but it is entering into crisis now in Europe. What they are doing in terms of recessionary adjustments is complete nonsense, for which Germany has a lot of blame. Germany will eventually pay for this joke. If the euro blows up, it will be in their face, too.
In another interview, she was asked whether she was a communist when (in the 1950s) she moved from Portugal to Brazil:
No. Given that I had an anarchist father, a mother of the Catholic left, and a communist uncle, I was a progressive, let’s say. In those days, I was if anything more of the Catholic left. I had friends who were communists, anarchists. Here, when I arrived, there were also Trotskyists, but I don’t remember that in Portugal. Here there many illustrious intellectuals who were Trotskyists. There were various intellectual salons: a communist one, a Trotskyist one, and a Catholic left one. And I want to all three, for a change. It was very stimulating.
Unfortunately, there are few sources on Tavares, in English. Here’s a link to the summary of a 2010 presentation she made to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
