Quo Vadis: Dialogues of Social Management with Intellectual Work of Jürgen Habermas (1998-2014)

Abstract

In this article we investigate how authors of the field of Social Management refer to the works of Jürgen Habermas and his conceptual framework. We argue from 54 mapped articles that, despite the influence of Habermas in the conception of the concept of Social Management for several authors of the field, its broad theoretical framework is still little approached. Few works are explored and a range of texts refers to it through readings made by other authors (internal to the field) and with indications of different and divergent interpretations of their texts. In addition, we find quotations without a contextual consideration of their works; lack of debate on the transformations of Habermasian thinking; forgetting the diagnosis of the colonization of the world-of-life by the system that impacts on the concept of Social Management; lack of references to authors who carry out critical dialogues and debates about their application to Brazilian society. We conclude by indicating that the Habermas texts can contribute (considering the limitations) to the development and consolidation of the field of studies and practices of Social Management, if they are explored in addition to The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, chapters of The Theory of Communicative Action and Between Facts and Norms: Contributions to a Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy.