O Método em Marx e a Pesquisa Social

https://doi.org/10.60543/ts_iss.vi10.10805

DOI: https://doi.org/10.60543/ts_iss.vi10.10805
Keywords: Marx’s Method, Social Research, Criterion of Truth, Theory–practice Unity

Abstract

This essay is part of the assessment activities of the course “Social Work: Theoretical-Methodological Foundations and Intervention in Reality – Contemporary Debate”, offered by a Graduate Program in Social Work in northern Brazil. Its object of study is the method in Marx, understood within the framework of historical-dialectical materialism, aiming to discuss its centrality in social research and, particularly, in Social Work research, highlighting fundamental categories and theoretical assumptions. Methodologically, this is a theoretical essay of a critical-dialectical nature, based on a theoretical-critical bibliographic review, emphasizing classical works by Karl Marx and authors from the Marxian tradition. As its main theoretical contribution, the article reaffirms the centrality of the critical-dialectical method in the production of social knowledge, emphasizing its conception of totality and the criterion of truth grounded in the unity between theory and practice, as essential mediations for an analytical perspective committed to the emancipatory character of theory.

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Author Biographies

Francisco dos Santos Neto, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA)

Social Worker, graduated from the Federal University of Pará (2017), with a Master's degree in Social Work from the same institution (2022), and currently a PhD candidate in Social Work at the Graduate Program in Social Work at the Federal University of Pará (2024–present). He is undertaking a doctoral sandwich program at the Miguel Torga Institute (ISMT) in Coimbra, Portugal (2025–2026). He is a faculty member at Estácio College of Pará, in Brazil, where he also served as Coordinator of the Social Work Program and held the position of Coordinator of Research, Extension, and Internationalization. He has experience in the field of Social Work, with an emphasis on debates concerning foundations, professional training and practice of social workers, the prison system, ethnic-racial relations, neoliberalism, and higher education.

Reinaldo Nobre Pontes, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA)

Social Worker (UFPa, 1984), PhD in Sociology from the Complutense University of Madrid, Department of Sociology I (2007), and holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (1993). He is also a specialist in Social Work Methodology (UFPa) and in Child and Adolescent Studies (PUC-SP). He is currently an Associate Professor II at the Federal University of Pará, assigned to the Institute of Applied Social Sciences, working in the School of Social Work and in the Graduate Program in Social Work (Master’s/Doctorate), where he served as Coordinator from June 2019 to December 2021 and as Deputy Coordinator from June 2017 to June 2019. He leads the Research Group on Social Work, Social Policies, and Professional Training (GEPSS), registered in the national directory of research groups, with projects funded by CNPq. He has professional experience in the areas of Social Assistance and Child and Adolescent Protection. His research focuses on the following themes: Social Work, Foundations of Social Work, professional practice of social workers, professional training, and social assistance policy. He is the author of Mediation and Social Work (Cortez Editora, 7th revised and expanded edition) and Citizenship vs. Poverty: The Dialectic of Concepts in the FHC Era (Appris, 2013). He also has an ongoing record of publications, including articles, books, and book chapters, produced jointly with members of the research group (faculty and advisees). He served as Vice-President (Northern Region) and President of ABEPSS (1997–1998). He was also a Senior Visiting Professor (CAPES-PROCAD fellowship) at the Miguel Torga Institute in Coimbra, Portugal (ISMT) (2022–2023).

Sonia Mafalda Pereira Ribeiro , Instituto Superior Miguel Torga (ISMT)

She holds a PhD in Social Work from the Catholic University of Portugal, obtained in 2016. She completed a Master’s degree in Family and Social Systems at the Miguel Torga Institute in 2002. She is an Assistant Professor at the Miguel Torga Institute. Between 2010 and 2023, she taught at Lusófona University of Porto. As a social worker, she has developed professional activities in several areas, such as intimate partner violence, children and youth at risk, and community intervention. She is the General Coordinator at Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Vagos.

Published
2026-07-30
How to Cite
Santos Neto, F. dos, Nobre Pontes, R., & Mafalda Pereira Ribeiro , S. (2026). O Método em Marx e a Pesquisa Social: https://doi.org/10.60543/ts_iss.vi10.10805 . "Temas Sociais" Journal , (10), 53-71. https://doi.org/10.60543/ts_iss.vi10.10805
Issue
No. 10 (2026): Temas Sociais n.º 10
Section
Artigos

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