Anita Leocadia Prestes

teacher, historian, militant (Interview/2021-2022)

Abstract

Professor, historian and communist militant Anita Leocádia Prestes is always active in her militancy, researching, producing books that are precious to national historiography, giving lectures to young students and social activists – spreading her critical ideas that have socialism and human emancipation as their horizon, the necessary revolution that may be delayed, but will come. In the middle of last year, from his rich participation in the educational projects of the Núcleo Práxis-USP, this interview was outlined, which was then systematised, gradually, between December 2021 and March 2022 – having been concluded in the month in which the political organisation for which he had militated for a great part of his life, the Brazilian Communist Party, celebrated a century of existence. During this dense dialogue, established both via videoconference and in writing, she exposes, with the frankness that is characteristic of her, her impressions about the Brazilian and international historical reality; she talks about the trajectory of the PCB, of communism, and the difficulties of the political conjuncture in the country and in the world; she also tells us something about her own history and that of her parents, and exposes her vision about the importance of education, engagement and understanding of Marxism for the effectiveness of social struggles.

Keywords:  communism, history, Marxism, national question, politics.