By RUBENS PINTO LYRA*

Homage to the recently deceased professor at the Federal University of Pernambuco

Marcos Costa Lima, on the 29th of June last, said goodbye to us, his deeply dismayed admirers, especially colleagues, students and former students who had the privilege of living with him and among whom he made solid friendships. There are not few, fortunately, who, in the universities, also left leaving memories, not only of their intellectual predicates, but also of their qualities as citizens and human beings.

However, what is peculiar about the luminous trajectory of this great colleague and friend, who greatly contributed to his academic brilliance radiating more widely, infecting those who knew him, was his “gentle and generous treatment”, as expressed in “Nota de Pesar”, the board of directors of Centro Celso Furtado, where he had a remarkable performance. She also highlights that Marcos left “not only an intellectual heritage, but also an affective one”.

It is not a question of confetti thrown, often, as a mere formality, to those who die. Opinions about Marcos leave no room for doubt, as they are unanimous and emphatic. He was, in effect, “a captivating person, outstanding, who always tried to conciliate”, as emphasized in a note from the Federal University of Pernambuco. As for the National Association of Graduate Studies in Social Sciences (ANPOCS), of which he was president between 2011 and 2012, “he was an aggregating personality and kind and cheerful leadership”.

The aspects of his personality, highlighted here, were strongly influenced by his illustrious parent, Osvaldo Lima Filho, Minister of Agriculture in the João Goulart government and former vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies, in the sixties of the last century. He also acted, in a remarkable way, in the 1988 Constituent Assembly, as an important leader of the PMDB. In 1991, he joined the PT.

Father and son were conciliatory and tolerant spirits. But these characteristics are not to be confused with leniency, as their political and ideological positions have always been firm and clear, committed to the search for more equality and social justice. Thus, his kindness was never an expression of alienated sociability, but a reflection of a praxis human impregnated with virtu.

Marcos Costa Lima, this “fantastic human being, author of a vast body of work, was a unique figure, who left a great academic legacy” as disclosed in the “Note of Weighing” issued by the coordinator of Asian Studies at UFPE. He traveled through multiple corners of the social sciences, having published works on themes as diverse as development, environment, international politics, Mercosur, globalization, Brazilian social thought and on China, South Korea and Latin America.

His recognized competence has made him, since 2015, Coordinator of Asian Studies, in addition to visiting professor at several international institutions, such as the universities of Leiden, Walles-Swamsea, the Sorbonne Nouvelle and the Sciences Politiques of Lille. He was also a member of the Scientific Council of the Celso Furtado International Center for Development Studies (2013-2017).

I was one of the many beneficiaries of its work, aimed at creating bridges and establishing the most diverse exchanges. He led me to participate, as a columnist, in the electronic magazine Journalism and citizenship, of the PPGCOM of UFPE and to appear as a member of the Editorial Board of the Asian Studies Magazine. Marcos also prefaced my book on Bolsonarism and wrote the back cover of my last work that deals with political theory, transcribed in the form of a presentation on the website the earth is round, and this was his last published text.

Marcos Costa Lima's legacy goes far beyond the work he produced, as not a few, like myself, have expanded, albeit modestly, their contribution to social sciences and political science thanks to their stimulating mediation, which opened up new horizons for my work.

Thus, the apparently superlative references to this extraordinary colleague are just the faithful expression of the fecundity of his work aimed at the aggrandizement of the social sciences and their improvement as an instrument of transformation. His moving example of life and work will continue to inspire all who share his ideals.

* Rubens Pinto Lyra, doctor in law (area of ​​Politics and State), is Professor Emeritus at UFPB. Author, among other books, of Bolsonarism: ideology, psychology, politics and related topics (Ed. of CCTA/UFPB).