Cadernos Brasileiros, a review of the Congress for Cultural Freedom

Abstract

The article deals with the journal Cadernos Brasileiros and its relationship with its funders from the Paris-based Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF). The history of the review is reconstructed, showing how Brazilian authors occupied a subordinate place on the international scene, but enjoyed relative autonomy. They took advantage of the Cold War confrontations to obtain external support, reinforcing their positions in the national intellectual field convulsed by a military coup, while competing for hearts and minds in the 1960s. They actively negotiated their position and influence amid political and cultural disputes. They were part of the process that would give rise, for example, to the institutionalization of the social sciences in Brazil, anchored in the valorization of research and the professionalization of researchers, based on ideas disseminated by the CCF through the Latin American Institute of International Relations (ILARI) and its reviews.