"Da esperança-à-desesperança-a-uma-nova-esperança, etc": transição, redemocratização incompleta e presentismo nas crônicas políticas de Décio Pignatari (1983-1988)

Abstract

Our article offers an in-depth historical interpretation of Décio Pignatari’s political chronicles, published between 1983 and 1987 and later compiled in the book pobdre Brasil! (1988). In this study, we examine these chronicles as an attempt to diagnose the political opening and the complex process of redemocratization in Brazil following the end of the military dictatorship (1964–1985). Through a detailed reading of these texts, we seek to understand the central themes that dominated the Brazilian political and cultural debate during the period marked by the gradual “distensão” imposed by the military government, the struggle for amnesty, the political opening, and, ultimately, the country’s redemocratization.

Our study identifies how Décio Pignatari, in his critical reflections, constructed a presentism that is simultaneously optimistic and catastrophic in the face of the end of the military regime. This duality reflects the complexity and uncertainty that characterized that historical moment, revealing both the hopes for change and the fears of continuity or regression. By exploring these nuances, our article aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of literature in reflecting on the political and social challenges Brazil faced during this crucial period.