Ruth Cardoso

She was an associate member of the Center for Latin American Studies of the University of Cambridge. Cardoso's academic reputation rests primarily on a series of highly influential articles and book chapters on popular movements and political participation that she published in the 1980s and 1990s. Cardoso, Cebrap created Brazil's first research group on social movements, helping to legitimate formal academic study of the "new" (non-class) social movements that had emerged in the 1970s. At the same time, she was careful to stress the limits of identity-based and popular movements for political transformation, noting the divisions among them and their frequent dependency on clientelistic relations with the state and political parties. Unlike many academics, Dr. Cardoso also had the opportunity to put some of her theories into practice after her husband was elected president. She transformed the traditional charity approach of other first ladies with her Comunidade Solidária (Solidary Community) programs that stressed the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in state-society partnerships. In addition to executing concrete social programs, Comunidade Solidária also facilitated broad discussions of important social topics, from agrarian reform to the legal status of NGOs, publishing the results of these dialogues. She published a book about these experiences, Comunidade Solidaria: Fortalecendo a Sociedade, Promovendo O Desenvolvimento (Comunitas, 2002). She transformed the Comunidade Solidaria into an NGO, Comunitas, after her husband left office. • Illustration — The President and First Lady attend a military ceremony. She died in São Paulo on 24 June 2008, after suffering a cardiac arrest. She had been discharged from the Sírio-Libanês Hospital the previous day, 23 June 2008, having previously been admitted with chest pains.

Ruth Cardoso studied at University of São Paulo. The recorded working language is Portuguese, Spanish and English. Residence is recorded at São Paulo. Employment is recorded with University of São Paulo, University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University. Positions recorded include First Lady of Brazil. Distinctions recorded are Bertha Lutz Prize, Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry and Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic.

• Name — Ruth Cardoso • Office — First Lady of Brazil • Term Label — In role • Term Start — 1 January 1995 • Term End — 1 January 2003 • President — Fernando Henrique Cardoso • Predecessor — Rosane Collor • Successor — Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva • Birth Name — Ruth Vilaça Correia Leite • Born — 19 September 1930 • Birthplace — Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil • Died — 24 June 2008 • Place of death — São Paulo, Brazil • Death Cause — Cardiac arrest • Occupation — Anthropologist • Children — 3