An introduction to the debate on the 1989 presidential election in Brazil

Abstract

The study of politics during the 1980s has been largely undertaken by Political Science, Sociology, Communication and Anthropology. It is the author’s opinion that, as a general rule, historians have not devoted themselves to deepen research on this theme during the above period. This fact is greatly felt when the 1989 Brazilian presidential elections are discussed. Current research aims at dialoging with other sciences that have already discussed the election and have much contributed so that this important political event in Brazil could be understood. Without discarding the theoretical and methodological specific references to history, it is of paramount importance that history dedicates itself more to current events, especially the period comprising the last two decades of the 20th century and the present.