Born on September 19, 1930, in Araraquara, in the state of S\u00e3o Paulo, Ruth Cardoso obtained the following academic degrees from the Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ci\u00eancias Humanas<\/em> of the Universidade de S\u00e3o Paulo<\/em> (FFLCH-USP): a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences (1952), a master’s degree in Sociology (1959) and a doctorate in Social Sciences (1972). In 1988, she obtained a post-doctorate from Columbia University <\/em>in New York, USA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She worked as a professor and researcher at USP; at the Centro Brasileiro de An\u00e1lise e Planejamento<\/em> (Cebrap); at the postgraduate course in Social Anthropology at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro; at the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales <\/em>(FLACSO) and the Universidad de Chile, <\/em>both in Santiago; at the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme Foundation <\/em>in Paris; and at the University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University, both in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nRuth Cardoso’s full Curriculum-vitae<\/em><\/a>\n\n\n During the presidential term of her husband, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, she founded the \u2018Comunidade Solid\u00e1ria\u2019 Program and chaired its board (1995-2002). The initiative mobilized partnerships between non-governmental organizations, universities, companies and governments to build and disseminate innovative social programs. The actions developed were aimed at promoting citizenship and local development by training people and organizing the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Between 2002 and 2008, she chaired Comunitas, a civil society organization of public interest, created to ensure the continuity of the experiences of \u2018Comunidade Solid\u00e1ria\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her career combined teaching and research with leadership and activism in civil society. She defended her ideas and discussed her experiences in lectures, conferences, work meetings and gatherings in Brazil and abroad. She worked and interacted with businesspeople, entrepreneurs, social activists, politicians, artists, young people, men and women. She received several awards and decorations. Her main mottos were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Fighting poverty is not about turning people and communities into passive beneficiaries of social programs. Every person has skills and gifts. Every community has resources and assets. Fighting poverty is about strengthening capacities and leveraging resources.”<\/p>\n\n\n\nSocial activist<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Legacy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n