The book comprises ten of Chaui's most important essays, currently being translated from Portuguese into English for the first time, prefaced by an introduction by Maite Conde that situates and contextualizes Chaui's work for an Anglophone audience. Organized chronologically, the essays chart the intellectual trajectory of Chaui in a way that offers a philosophical inquiry into Brazil's political, social and cultural history - from the final years of the dictatorship in the 1980s until the present day.

Since the 1980's, Marilena Chaui's writing has had a profound impact in Brazil, contributing to the academic conversation and resonating in popular culture. Here, in English for the first time, are ten of Chaui's most important essays, with an introduction by Maite Conde which situates the scholarship in the global context.