THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE IN CONTEMPORARY CAPITALISM

Abstract

This article examines the relationships between public, private, and social responsibility within the context of monopolistic capitalism in Brazil, adopting a theoretical perspective. It explores Jürgen Habermas and Hannah Arendt’s conceptions of the public sphere, highlighting their differences: Habermas links it to the bourgeois state and public opinion, while Arendt associates it with freedom and the common space of the polis. In Brazil, the lack of distinction between public and private, shaped by clientelism, patrimonialism, and “cordiality” (Holanda, 1984), hinders the development of a democratic public sphere. The privatization of public services and the devaluation of the public space, intensified by neoliberalism, support capitalist accumulation. Corporate social responsibility is viewed as a strategy to legitimize capital, masking labor exploitation and social exclusion through clientelist philanthropy. The text advocates for reclaiming the public sphere as a space for the common good through the struggles of dominated classes for citizenship and democracy.