The “Helmsman” in anthropological crossings: a tribute to Roberto Kant de Lima and his legacy

Abstract

This article serves to introduce this special issue, organized on the initiative of the journal Antropolítica, to honor Professor Roberto Kant de Lima, who passed away in May 2025. Based on this mission, the text seeks to present part of Professor Kant’s contributions to the field of Anthropology, highlighting in particular his conception and practice of the comparative perspective and, therefore, a specific and sophisticated way of “doing anthropology”. This perspective has a central point in the dialogue between different cultural experiences and perspectives, and especially in the internationalization experience of researchers as they submerge themselves into distinct social universes. Furthermore, the article also serves as a form of memory and a living tribute to an intellectual who, beyond his academic contribution, left indelible marks on the authors, as well as on the other contributors to this issue—men and women who, over the years, were his colleagues, advisees, and friends, and who today honor him in this initiative by the journal. Thus, the text is built upon references to his works and the dialogues he established with central authors of anthropological theory, as well as the experiences of mentorship, collaboration, and continuous learning that we built together with him throughout our trajectories.