Quando o “público” encontra a democracia

This work pays tribute to the work of Luiz Werneck Vianna as a classic work of Brazilian social and political thought. The author's work is analyzed in its original contribution by combining the republican dimension of our authoritarian tradition, with the democratic dimension of our liberal tradition. We argue that such a synthesis is capable of, by reinterpreting the past, bringing light to fundamental issues of the present.