Comparative Politics in Latin America: dilemmas and challenges in Brazil

Abstract

This article seeks to analyze the evolution of Comparative Political studies about Latin America, highlighting the Brazilian case. The paper begins with a conceptual understanding of what could be considered as comparative studies in Political Science. In order to evaluate the present situation of comparative research in this region, and especially in Brazil, the scientific production was examined giving emphasis to published articles in the most prestigious journals of political science in Brazil. As it was verified the small weight of comparative studies over the total studies of political science, the study attempts to discuss how the comparative method has been employed in political science graduate programs, whether from the point of view of human resources formation as well as in the methodological dimension as it appeared in thesis and dissertations. Finally we debate possible measures that could foment comparative studies in the future.