Linguagens da cidadania: os brasileiros escrevem para a Constituinte de 1987/1988

This thesis examines a set of personal letters that comprise the documental found Collection Memory of Constituent, deposited in the Historical Archives of the Republic Museum and gathering documents produced in the course of a political process that resulted in the promulgation of the current Brazilian Constitution. Brazil was experiencing a moment of democratic transition, which aimed to put an end to the auth oritarian regime installed in the country from the civil - military coup of 1964. The settlement of a new Constitution was put up as a democratic path of struggle against authoritarianism, getting stronger and increasing social support, and even becoming a k ey point in the articulation of the indirect election of Tancredo Neves and José Sarney to the Presidency and Vice - Presidency of the Republic, in 1985. With the election and following death of Tancredo, Sarney took over the Presidency and officially propos ed the setting up of a National Constituent Assembly in the country . Then, an intense debate and negotiations surrounding the type of constituent which must be established had begun in society, with especial emphasis in the organization of an extensive and well structured social movement in favor of popular participation in the Constituent Assembly, which was acclaimed as a condition for building a truly democratic Brazil. The letters analyzed in this thesis were inserted into the context of initiatives to participate in the Constituent Assembly that took place in Brazil. They were written by ordinary people because of that constituent moment, and they were sent to political authorities. These letters register claims, requests, comments, criticisms, complain ts and suggestions for the future Constitution. The aim of this thesis is, first, to demonstrate that these letters are forms of po litic participation, unique and special, that value the democratic dimension of politics. Second, to identify the meanings gi ven by these letters to the notions of 'citizen rights' and 'duties of political representatives' at that time the country was assigned the task of elaborating a new Constitution – the 'Citizen Constitution'.