THE LEFT OF POWER: RENEWAL OF THE POLITICAL ELITES IN BRAZIL AND URUGUAY

The goal of this article is to analyze the emergence and insertion of the new Left in the democratization processes in Brazil and Uruguay during the 1980s and 1990s through the study of the parties' patterns of social recruiting and the leaders' political careers. First, the author presents the topic and the selected cases. Second, the theoretical framework and methodology are outlined. Third, the author reconstructs the historical trajectories and the institutional careers of the leaders of leftist political parties. The patterns of social recruiting are also analyzed, including the leaders' elective affinities in terms of participation in associations, civil society networking, and social interest representation. Finally, the author presents several hypotheses on the affinities and the differences regarding the ideological camps of the Left in Brazil and Uruguay.