Unemployment is a major problem in South Africa that has the potential to erode the democratic future of this country. In general, the main economic approaches that deal with unemployment are informed by neo-liberal and neo-Marxist perspectives. The problem is that these perspectives are in a dialectical tension with each other and can increase conflict and unemployment. This dialectical tension is reflected in language that can be informed by the reductionist aspects of the ontologies perspectives. The purpose of this study is to inquire whether the deconstruction of Jacques Derrida can provide an alternative perspective for the dialectical tension present between neo-liberal and neo-Marxist approaches that are being used to address the problem of unemployment in the South African context. In this regard, the critique of the language of reductionist ontologies by deconstruction provides a means to move beyond the tension between neo-liberalism and neo-Marxism, because deconstruction uncovers the ambivalence of the language of both perspectives, but without constructing a new synthesis that may result in new reductions of reality. This reduction of reality is evident in the use of “growth momentum”, referred to by Rodrik (2008:3), as a suggestion of a neo-liberal solution to the problem of unemployment. Growth is a reference to natural processes that can become a means to hide the mechanical structure of the economic cycle, which again has the potential to restrict growth through extreme forms of inequality and greed. Neo-Marxist perspectives utilise references to “equality” and “government intervention” to deal with injustice. This can result in extreme forms of control that diminish human dignity. The role of deconstruction for the language of economic theory is illustrated by Jacques Derrida’s use of the word “Gift”. A gift is ambivalent because it contains a tension between self-interest and justice, which Jacques Derrida refers to as “hospitable narcissism”. It will be argued that this ambivalence is present in the language of the economic theory of John Maynard Keynes, which may provide important sustainable economic perspectives for dealing with unemployment in South Africa, thus providing a practical application of hospitable narcissism. In this regard, deconstruction is helpful to develop sensitivity to the language used and the ontologies that inform the language when addressing unemployment. The gift advances human dignity through responsible governance that is critical of 5 uncontrolled self-interest, greed and corruption. This happens through engagement with unemployed people – an act of accountability. In this regard, the study aims at researching the following goals: Firstly, it aims to argue that unemployment in general is perpetuated by the dialectical tension between neo-liberalism and neo-Marxism; secondly, the deconstruction of language provides a critical perspective on reality that opens new perspectives for discussing the possibility of sustainable economic language, with reference to the word “gift”; thirdly, an aspect of “the gift” is present in the economic theory of Keynes that may provide sustainable perspectives for unemployment in the South African context. In order to reach these goals, a praxis methodology is followed in which the practical reality of unemployment and the dialectical tension between neo-liberalism and neo-Marxism in South Africa are the points of departure. The implication is that the economic reality of unemployment and the political tension between neo-liberalism and neo-Marxism form the basis for further philosophical reflection. To do this, a deconstructive approach is followed as a means to explore the ontology of neo-liberalism and neo-Marxism. This is followed by a deconstructive reading of the economic theory that John Maynard Keynes follows in order to provide alternative perspectives for the problem of unemployment in South Africa. The following resources were consulted in the research: Library catalogue of the North-West University, research articles through the database of Ebsco-host, statistics of unemployment from Statistics South Africa, and newspaper articles. This mini-dissertation is presented in the form of an article, in accordance with rule A.7.2.5 of the “General Academic Rules” of the North-West University. The article will be presented for publication in the journal Acta Academica, at a later stage. In this regard, the guidelines for publication of this journal are included in the appendix. The article contains the following subdivisions: 1. Introduction 2. Neo-liberalism and neo-Marxism: Contemporary research of unemployment in South Africa 3. Deconstruction and “the gift” 4. John Maynard Keynes and unemployment 5. “The gift” and unemployment in the South African context 6. Conclusion In the next section, the research article is presented with a bibliography and a summary of the article in English and Afrikaans, in accordance with the prescriptions of Acta Academica. In the final sections of the document some general conclusions, the limitations of the study and recommendations for further research, are presented. This is followed by the appendix with prescriptions for research articles submitted to Acta Academica. / Thesis (MPhil)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Unemployment is a major problem in South Africa that has the potential to erode the democratic future of this country. In general, the main economic approaches that deal with unemployment are informed by neo-liberal and neo-Marxist perspectives. The problem is that these perspectives are in a dialectical tension with each other and can increase conflict and unemployment. This dialectical tension is reflected in language that can be informed by the reductionist aspects of the ontologies perspectives. The purpose of this study is to inquire whether the deconstruction of Jacques Derrida can provide an alternative perspective for the dialectical tension present between neo-liberal and neo-Marxist approaches that are being used to address the problem of unemployment in the South African context. In this regard, the critique of the language of reductionist ontologies by deconstruction provides a means to move beyond the tension between neo-liberalism and neo-Marxism, because deconstruction uncovers the ambivalence of the language of both perspectives, but without constructing a new synthesis that may result in new reductions of reality. This reduction of reality is evident in the use of “growth momentum”, referred to by Rodrik (2008:3), as a suggestion of a neo-liberal solution to the problem of unemployment. Growth is a reference to natural processes that can become a means to hide the mechanical structure of the economic cycle, which again has the potential to restrict growth through extreme forms of inequality and greed. Neo-Marxist perspectives utilise references to “equality” and “government intervention” to deal with injustice. This can result in extreme forms of control that diminish human dignity. The role of deconstruction for the language of economic theory is illustrated by Jacques Derrida’s use of the word “Gift”. A gift is ambivalent because it contains a tension between self-interest and justice, which Jacques Derrida refers to as “hospitable narcissism”. It will be argued that this ambivalence is present in the language of the economic theory of John Maynard Keynes, which may provide important sustainable economic perspectives for dealing with unemployment in South Africa, thus providing a practical application of hospitable narcissism. In this regard, deconstruction is helpful to develop sensitivity to the language used and the ontologies that inform the language when addressing unemployment. The gift advances human dignity through responsible governance that is critical of 5 uncontrolled self-interest, greed and corruption. This happens through engagement with unemployed people – an act of accountability. In this regard, the study aims at researching the following goals: Firstly, it aims to argue that unemployment in general is perpetuated by the dialectical tension between neo-liberalism and neo-Marxism; secondly, the deconstruction of language provides a critical perspective on reality that opens new perspectives for discussing the possibility of sustainable economic language, with reference to the word “gift”; thirdly, an aspect of “the gift” is present in the economic theory of Keynes that may provide sustainable perspectives for unemployment in the South African context. In order to reach these goals, a praxis methodology is followed in which the practical reality of unemployment and the dialectical tension between neo-liberalism and neo-Marxism in South Africa are the points of departure. The implication is that the economic reality of unemployment and the political tension between neo-liberalism and neo-Marxism form the basis for further philosophical reflection. To do this, a deconstructive approach is followed as a means to explore the ontology of neo-liberalism and neo-Marxism. This is followed by a deconstructive reading of the economic theory that John Maynard Keynes follows in order to provide alternative perspectives for the problem of unemployment in South Africa. The following resources were consulted in the research: Library catalogue of the North-West University, research articles through the database of Ebsco-host, statistics of unemployment from Statistics South Africa, and newspaper articles. This mini-dissertation is presented in the form of an article, in accordance with rule A.7.2.5 of the “General Academic Rules” of the North-West University. The article will be presented for publication in the journal Acta Academica, at a later stage. In this regard, the guidelines for publication of this journal are included in the appendix. The article contains the following subdivisions: 1. Introduction 2. Neo-liberalism and neo-Marxism: Contemporary research of unemployment in South Africa 3. Deconstruction and “the gift” 4. John Maynard Keynes and unemployment 5. “The gift” and unemployment in the South African context 6. Conclusion In the next section, the research article is presented with a bibliography and a summary of the article in English and Afrikaans, in accordance with the prescriptions of Acta Academica. In the final sections of the document some general conclusions, the limitations of the study and recommendations for further research, are presented. This is followed by the appendix with prescriptions for research articles submitted to Acta Academica. / Thesis (MPhil)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This study focuses on the way in which Willem Boshoff aesthetically con-cretized the historical memories of Afrikaners and their influence on their notion of power and identity formation. For this purpose a selection was made of Boshoff’s language-based conceptual installations. During the colonial and apartheid eras South Africa had a long history, which was characterized by people in power who encountered other population groups from a vantage point of superiority implying subjection. This implied that the particular in-terests of the people in power were generalized across the whole of society and imposed on all population groups as generalized interests. Where the in-dividual interests did not correspond to the general interests of society in its totality, the interests of the individual were negated and ignored. It can there-fore be stated that the utopia of those in power became the proverbial hell of the other. The study emanates from Ricoeur’s plea for a critical and imaginative en-counter with history so that other perspectives on traumatic events can be developed. Such an approach creates the possibility of opening up the unreal-ized promises of the past for the present and leading to the future. It further proceeds from the assumption that if we are faithful to the past, we will also be faithful to “the more” of the past or that which transcends the past. My ap-proach is in line with that of Verbeeck, who – tying in with Ricoeur – ad-vocated an anachronistic encounter with and interpretation of history. What is meant by aesthetic concretization in this study is that Willem Boshoff conceptually expresses his artistic interpretation and visual manifestation of philosophical ideas on Afrikaners’ memories of power and identity. He makes real (real-ises) and gives shape to these philosophical ideas. For this purpose three dates in the historical narratives of Afrikaners were selected, which had an important impact on Afrikaners’ notions of power and identity formation: 31 May 1902 –The end of the Anglo-Boer War and the demise of the Boer Republics and the freedom of Afrikaners; 31 May 1961 – The formation of the Republic of South Africa under the leadership of the National Party, and 27 April 1994 – The first democratic elections in South Africa, and the Afrikaners’ total loss of power. The reading and interpretation of Boshoff’s installations were undertaken with-in the framework of Adorno’s dialectical distinction in his aesthetic theory be-tween the Inhalt and the Gehalt of works of art. Adorno regards everything that appears in the work of art, viz. everything that the artist gives form to, as Inhalt [content]. Gehalt, on the other hand, refers to the truth content of works of art, which according to him resides in the specific negation [German: bestimmte Negation] of the untruth of an inhuman society. For Adorno bestimmte Negation signifies a break both with that which exists [in other words a negation of the predominance of a false reality] and with the continuity between the present and the future [the salvation of the moment or element which holds promise of something, which goes beyond that which exists, and refers to something better]. In Adorno’s view works of art are tho-roughly historically determined. According to Adorno the history of society is sedimented in the material, the constellations and the form elements of works of art. What is meant by this is that the artistic material which an artist [in this study Boshoff] utilizes, is not only words, pigments, or rock, but is everything that is pre-formed by history that the artist uses. Because history sediments in the material and because the material of a work of art is taken from reality, but in a fragmented fashion, the work of art becomes a monad – that is auto-nomous and windowless, because the work of art, apparantly, has no links to or relationships with recognizable reality or with other works of art. I argue that the exposé of the memories of Afrikaners of cultural and political domination, with historical narratives as a source, and the influence of these on their visions of power and identity, offers a framework for the reading and interpretation of selected installations. In these selected installations, Boshoff offers immanent criticism of the above unequal power relations and con-comitant views of identity. Through striving for the harmonious and the good as ethical and aesthetic principles in his installations focused on social inter-action, he makes a contribution to the creation of a more humanitarian society. / Thesis (PhD (Art History))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

This study focuses on the way in which Willem Boshoff aesthetically con-cretized the historical memories of Afrikaners and their influence on their notion of power and identity formation. For this purpose a selection was made of Boshoff’s language-based conceptual installations. During the colonial and apartheid eras South Africa had a long history, which was characterized by people in power who encountered other population groups from a vantage point of superiority implying subjection. This implied that the particular in-terests of the people in power were generalized across the whole of society and imposed on all population groups as generalized interests. Where the in-dividual interests did not correspond to the general interests of society in its totality, the interests of the individual were negated and ignored. It can there-fore be stated that the utopia of those in power became the proverbial hell of the other. The study emanates from Ricoeur’s plea for a critical and imaginative en-counter with history so that other perspectives on traumatic events can be developed. Such an approach creates the possibility of opening up the unreal-ized promises of the past for the present and leading to the future. It further proceeds from the assumption that if we are faithful to the past, we will also be faithful to “the more” of the past or that which transcends the past. My ap-proach is in line with that of Verbeeck, who – tying in with Ricoeur – ad-vocated an anachronistic encounter with and interpretation of history. What is meant by aesthetic concretization in this study is that Willem Boshoff conceptually expresses his artistic interpretation and visual manifestation of philosophical ideas on Afrikaners’ memories of power and identity. He makes real (real-ises) and gives shape to these philosophical ideas. For this purpose three dates in the historical narratives of Afrikaners were selected, which had an important impact on Afrikaners’ notions of power and identity formation: 31 May 1902 –The end of the Anglo-Boer War and the demise of the Boer Republics and the freedom of Afrikaners; 31 May 1961 – The formation of the Republic of South Africa under the leadership of the National Party, and 27 April 1994 – The first democratic elections in South Africa, and the Afrikaners’ total loss of power. The reading and interpretation of Boshoff’s installations were undertaken with-in the framework of Adorno’s dialectical distinction in his aesthetic theory be-tween the Inhalt and the Gehalt of works of art. Adorno regards everything that appears in the work of art, viz. everything that the artist gives form to, as Inhalt [content]. Gehalt, on the other hand, refers to the truth content of works of art, which according to him resides in the specific negation [German: bestimmte Negation] of the untruth of an inhuman society. For Adorno bestimmte Negation signifies a break both with that which exists [in other words a negation of the predominance of a false reality] and with the continuity between the present and the future [the salvation of the moment or element which holds promise of something, which goes beyond that which exists, and refers to something better]. In Adorno’s view works of art are tho-roughly historically determined. According to Adorno the history of society is sedimented in the material, the constellations and the form elements of works of art. What is meant by this is that the artistic material which an artist [in this study Boshoff] utilizes, is not only words, pigments, or rock, but is everything that is pre-formed by history that the artist uses. Because history sediments in the material and because the material of a work of art is taken from reality, but in a fragmented fashion, the work of art becomes a monad – that is auto-nomous and windowless, because the work of art, apparantly, has no links to or relationships with recognizable reality or with other works of art. I argue that the exposé of the memories of Afrikaners of cultural and political domination, with historical narratives as a source, and the influence of these on their visions of power and identity, offers a framework for the reading and interpretation of selected installations. In these selected installations, Boshoff offers immanent criticism of the above unequal power relations and con-comitant views of identity. Through striving for the harmonious and the good as ethical and aesthetic principles in his installations focused on social inter-action, he makes a contribution to the creation of a more humanitarian society. / Thesis (PhD (Art History))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

For most of the 20th century the dominant aim of Swedish educational policy was an integrated public school system under national state control. During the post-war era (1945–1989) this policy led to Sweden having one of the most centralized and integrated school systems in the world. In the 1980s and 1990s, however, there was a profound change in Swedish education policy towards decentralization, deregulation and marketization of the school system. The aim of this thesis is to provide a deeper understanding of the nature and causes of this shift in education policy. The thesis draws from a theoretical framework consisting of Critical Realism, curriculum theory and Neo-Marxism. From a Neo- Marxist perspective the configuration of state education policy is understood as a dominant education ideology. The empirical material consists of state policy documents which are understood as an expression of the dominant education ideology in society. The results indicate a shift in the dominant education ideology in Sweden between 1969 and – 1999: from an emphasis on state governance and goals of equivalence, equality and participation in the school system during the 1970s, towards increasing skepticism regarding state regulation and an emphasis on decentralization and aims to increase parental and pupil influence in the school system during the 1980s, to a dominance of private influence via school choice and competition in the school system during the 1990s. From a theoretical perspective consisting of Critical Realism and curriculum theory, this shift in education policy and restructuring of the school system is understood in relation to economic crises, a rightward shift in politics and the dominance of neoliberal ideas in Sweden during the 1980s and 1990s.

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) should have been a 'game- changer' and a boost for the EU economy by creating more jobs and growth in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. By eliminating the remaining trade barriers, it would have established a transatlantic trade area connecting the two most powerful economies in the world. This Master's thesis utilizes four concepts of the neo-Marxist theory: key premises of the Amsterdam School, State theory of Bob Jessop and Nicos Poulantzas, combines Ulrich Beck's notion of risk society with Antonio Gramsci's role of intellectuals, and outlines the premise of commodification as a part of political ecology. The theoretical neo-Marxist prism facilitates the mapping of the crucial social agents functioning as the proponents of the TTIP agenda as a hegemonic project and those forces opposing the deal as a counter-hegemonic movement. This thesis reveals how the TTIP agreement was legitimized by the proponents but issues of transparency and other contradictions revolving around the deal attracted the attention of various civil society organizations (CSOs) that were concerned about TTIP's impact on public health and environment. Three empirical cases focusing on the precautionary principle (PP), endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs),...

Marriage is arguably one of the most important events and choices to be made in one’s life, especially for many of the female characters in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Whether characters are searching for a husband for themselves or is searching for someone else, marriage is the source of many conflicts. Social class plays an important part in the marital process in Regency England and remains a point of tension in the novel. Moreover, the women seemingly have different yet similar experiences with the marriage process. This essay will analyze Catherine de Bourgh, Caroline Bingley, Mrs Bennet, Jane Bennet, Elizabeth Bennet as well as Charlotte Lucas, with the focus of the essay being their views and experiences with marriage through a characterization study in order of their social class. The essay will be positioned within classic Marxism due to the importance of social classes in Marx as well as in Neo- Marxism. The main part of the analysis consists of whether a female character acts in agreement or disagreement with the ISAs (Ideological State Apparatuses) as presented by Louis Althusser. It will be evident that some will be in agreement while others are in disagreement. Because of this the essay will also show that regardless of the social classand relation to the ISAs a woman’s main purpose in life is to be a wife and mother, even if Austen hints at characters breaking free from this ideology to make way for a new way of thinking.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:31:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bruno Peixoto Carvalho.pdf: 2648933 bytes, checksum: 216f0c736612c27267629a4d1c5f077d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-14 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / It is defended in this paper the thesis in which the São Paulo School of Social Psychology has operated an important ideological and political turn, along its making, in relation to its works dated to the late 1980s. Such turn, conceived both in the period after the Socialism in Eastern Europe (1989) and the end of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics (1991), materialized either at the abandonment or the transforming of leading grounds and categories of Historical-Dialectical Materialism, such as structure and class dynamics (and class struggle too), the centrality of work and the perspective of Capitalism overcoming. Our thesis, thus, is based upon a research whose goal is to historicize the São Paulo School of Social Psychology. Chapter One, by exposing this research achievements, starts with a discussion of methodical foundations that guide its fulfillment, summerized as follows: a) historiographical discussions (related to the writing of history) from important psychology historian's works; b) the grounds of Historical-Dialectical Materialism which, in the form of a philosophy of history, have leaded that production. In Chapter Two, earliest developments of the São Paulo School of Social Psychology, by Silvia Lane's and Alberto Abib Andery's works made in communities during the 1960s, are hereby analyzed, going through early critical formulations to the USA's Social Psychology, which gain expression in Lane's writings in the 1980s, even her most elaborate synthesis in Psicologia Social: o homem em movimento (Social Psychology: humankind in motion [free translation]), organized work by Silvia Lane and Wanderley Codo and published in 1984, notoriously Marxist in terms of categories to the comprehension of singular human being and torwards a social transforming project, as well. Late development times of the São Paulo School of Social Psychology gives way to a series of reformulations (post 1989-1991), whose fundamental outcome lies on appropriations of Neo-Marxist authors, Heller and Habermas. The book Novas veredas da Psicologia Social (New paths of Social Psychology [free translation]), organized by Silvia Lane and Bader Sawaia, represents a synthesis work of the latest formulations of the São Paulo School of Social Psychology. From the 1990's on, among other writings, Novas veredas is analyzed in Chapter Three, which identifies operate refomulations, in accordance to Social Psychology's fundamentals and categories. Finally, we have measured the direction of the project of social changes derived from the categories and the fundamentals of Social Psychology made by the São Paulo School after the 1989-1991 years / Este trabalho defende a tese de que, em seu desenvolvimento, a Escola de São Paulo de Psicologia Social operou um importante giro ideopolítico em relação àqueles seus trabalhos que datam até fins da década de 1980. Tal giro, gestado no período posterior ao fim do socialismo no leste europeu (1989) e na derrocada da União das Repúblicas Socialistas Soviéticas (1991), concretizou-se no abandono ou transformismo de importantes fundamentos e categorias do materialismo histórico-dialético, tais como a estrutura e a dinâmica das classes (e da luta de classes), a centralidade do trabalho e a perspectiva de superação do capitalismo. A tese anunciada sustenta-se em pesquisa cujo objetivo foi o de historiar a Escola de São Paulo de Psicologia Social. O primeiro capítulo da exposição dos resultados alcançados por esta pesquisa inicia com uma discussão dos fundamentos metódicos que orientaram a sua realização, em que estão condensados: a) as discussões historiográficas (relativas à escrita da história) a partir de trabalhos de importantes historiadores da psicologia; b) os fundamentos do materialismo histórico-dialético que, sob a forma de uma filosofia da história, orientaram esta produção. No segundo capítulo, são analisados os primeiros desenvolvimentos da Escola de São Paulo de Psicologia Social, desde os primeiros trabalhos realizados por Silvia Lane e Alberto Abib Andery em comunidades nos anos 1960, passando pelas primeiras formulações críticas em relação à Psicologia Social estadunidense que ganham expressão nos escritos de Lane nos anos 1980, até sua síntese mais elaborada em Psicologia Social: o homem em movimento, obra organizada por Silvia Lane e Wanderley Codo e publicada em 1984 e cuja inspiração marxista, tanto em termos das categorias que constituem a compreensão do ser humano singular quanto em termos do sentido do projeto de transformação social, é notória. Este momento do desenvolvimento da Escola de São Paulo cede lugar a uma série de reformulações (pós 1989-1991), cuja principal expressão reside na apropriação dos autores neomarxistas Heller e Habermas. O livro Novas veredas da Psicologia Social, de 1994, organizado por Silvia Lane e Bader Sawaia, representa uma obra-síntese das novas formulações da Escola de São Paulo. Junto a outros escritos, a partir da década de 1990, este livro é objeto de análise do terceiro capítulo, que identifica, em termos dos fundamentos e das categorias da psicologia social, as reformulações operadas. Por fim, é dimensionado o sentido do projeto de transformação social que se deriva das reformulações das categorias e fundamentos da psicologia social, realizadas pela Escola de São Paulo pós 1989-1991

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:20:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pedro Donizete da Costa Junior.pdf: 918943 bytes, checksum: 744823e8703fb3eea7e706649671d5ae (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-10 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The aim of this research is to contribute towards the study of the major changes occurring in the international system since the twentieth century, specifically from the 70s on. The central question is: Is the United States of America living a "terminal crisis"? This question is not examined directly, but by means of a comparative analysis of two important lines of approach in International Relations: the world-system and the developmentalist. In the former, we turn to two authors, Giovanni Arrighi and Immanuel Wallerstein; in the latter, we turn to José Luís Fiori / O objetivo deste trabalho é contribuir para o estudo das grandes transformações que ocorrem no sistema internacional desde os anos 70 do século XX. A questão central é: os Estados Unidos da América vivem uma crise terminal ? Não examinamos esta questão diretamente, mas por intermédio da análise comparativa de duas importantes linhas de abordagem das Relações Internacionais: a do sistema-mundo e a desenvolvimentista. No primeiro caso, recorremos a dois autores, Giovanni Arrighi e Immanuel Wallerstein; no segundo, a José Luís Fiori

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:53:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pedro Donizete da Costa Junior.pdf: 918943 bytes, checksum: 744823e8703fb3eea7e706649671d5ae (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-10 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The aim of this research is to contribute towards the study of the major changes occurring in the international system since the twentieth century, specifically from the 70s on. The central question is: Is the United States of America living a "terminal crisis"? This question is not examined directly, but by means of a comparative analysis of two important lines of approach in International Relations: the world-system and the developmentalist. In the former, we turn to two authors, Giovanni Arrighi and Immanuel Wallerstein; in the latter, we turn to José Luís Fiori / O objetivo deste trabalho é contribuir para o estudo das grandes transformações que ocorrem no sistema internacional desde os anos 70 do século XX. A questão central é: os Estados Unidos da América vivem uma crise terminal ? Não examinamos esta questão diretamente, mas por intermédio da análise comparativa de duas importantes linhas de abordagem das Relações Internacionais: a do sistema-mundo e a desenvolvimentista. No primeiro caso, recorremos a dois autores, Giovanni Arrighi e Immanuel Wallerstein; no segundo, a José Luís Fiori