1979
Candido Mendes
SBI, Rio de Janeiro
(1979–1982)
Candido Mendes (1928–2022) was a Brazilian political scientist. He held B.A. degree in Law and Philosophy from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RJ) and earned his Ph.D. in Law from the National Faculty of Law of the former University of Brazil (now Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro).
Prof. Mendes began his academic career in 1951 and held various teaching and leadership positions at leading Brazilian institutions, including PUC-RJ, the Brazilian School of Public Administration at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), the Candido Mendes Law School, the Faculty of Political and Economic Sciences of Rio de Janeiro, and the University Institute for Research of Rio de Janeiro (IUPERJ). Internationally, he served as a visiting professor at numerous American universities, including Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, Cornell, NYU, Brown, and UC Los Angeles.
He also served as the Rector of Universidade Candido Mendes (1997-2022) and President of the Union of Private Higher Education Institutions in Rio de Janeiro. He was a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, Secretary-General of the Académie de la Latinité, and President of the Forum of Rectors of Rio de Janeiro. His international roles included membership in the Académie des Sciences d’Outre-Mer (France), the National Academy of History (Argentina), and ambassadorship for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. He also served on the Economic and Social Development Council of the Presidency of Brazil until 2010.
Throughout his career, Prof. Mendes received several honors and awards, including the Émile Durkheim Award from the International Society of Criminology, the Knight of the Legion of Honor (France), the Grand Officer of the Order of Rio Branco (Brazil), the Grand Officer of the National Order of Scientific Merit (Brazil), and the Doctor Honoris Causa from Université de Paris III – Sorbonne Nouvelle. In 2007, the French Academy awarded him the French Language and Literature Dissemination Award for his book Le Défi de la Différence: Entretiens sur la Latinité.
His major books include A Latinidade ou o Outro Ocidente (2016); A Razão Armada (2012); Subcultura e Mudança: Por que me Envergonho do Meu PaÃs (2010); Dr. Alceu: Da ‘Persona’ à Pessoa (2008); Lula Apesar de Lula (2006); Lula: A Opção Mais que o Voto (2002); A Presidência Afortunada – Depois do Real, Antes da Social Democracia (1999); Collor – Anos-Luz, Ano-Zero (1993); A Democracia Desperdiçada (1992); A Inconfidência Brasileira (1986); Justice, faim de l’Église (1977); Memento dos Vivos – A Esquerda Católica no Brasil (1966); and Nacionalismo e Desenvolvimento (1963; 2nd edition, 2005).
Within IPSA, Prof. Mendes played a key leadership role for over a decade. He served on the 5XÉçÇøExecutive Committee from 1970 to 1973, as Vice-President from 1973 to 1976, and as First Vice-President from 1976 to 1979. In 1979, he became the first 5XÉçÇøPresident from outside Europe and North America, serving until 1982 and marking a significant step toward the Association’s global inclusiveness.
