Florestan Fernandes was a Brazilian sociologist and politician. He was also elected federal deputy twice.

Life and career

He came from a poor family with his mother being a "washerwoman". In youth he took a series of odd jobs and had an erratic education until he attended the university in 1941. In 1945 he graduated and by 1964 was a full professor in sociology. In that same year he won the Prêmio Jabuti

Prêmio Jabuti

The Prêmio Jabuti is the most important and well-known literary award in Brazil. It was created in 1958 by Edgard Cavalheiro....

. In 1969 he fled to Canada for political reasons and began to teach at the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

. In 1973 he returned to Brazil and became involved in the Partido dos Trabalhadores

Workers' Party (Brazil)

The Workers' Party is a democratic socialist political party in Brazil. Launched in 1980, it is recognized as one of the largest and most important left-wing movements of Latin America. It governs at the federal level in a coalition government with several other parties since January 1, 2003...

. At 75 he died of an embolism

Embolism

In medicine, an embolism is the event of lodging of an embolus into a narrow capillary vessel of an arterial bed which causes a blockage in a distant part of the body.Embolization is...

.