Lineide do Lago Salvador Mosca (1941-2021) is not only one of the most respected Brazilian scholars in the studies of rhetoric and argumentation; she was also a dedicated Professor that relentlessly sought to introduce her undergraduate and graduate students to the most advanced research perspectives in her field both nationally and internationally. This care with the development of her students started early, during her teaching degree, and was kept aflame, even after obtaining the title of Full Professor, until her sudden departure. Her legacy, though, remains strong and can be seen in different dimensions of her work.
Her immense concern for internationalization of the qualified research produced in Brazil is nurtured by the members of the research group GERAR (Group of Rhetorical and Argumentation Studies), led by her, with its more than 25 years of existence and a history of disseminating discussion on argumentation in different perspectives to distinct academic circles around the world.
Her capacity for bearing fruit was emphasized by some of her graduate students in a recent tribute. Besides an admirable academic trajectory, which encompassed post-doctorates in different countries, such as France (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales- EHESS and Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris III),, Belgium (Université de Liège) and Germany (Ruhr Universität Bochum and Freie Universität Berlin), Professor Lineide Mosca, as she was called by her peers and students, advised 28 doctor’s degrees and 15 master’s degrees and supervised 4 post-doctorate researchers, all of whom multiply her teachings in different parts of the country.
Her involvement in the field was deeply recognized by her insertion in several distinct communities of argumentation scholars. Lineide was an honorary member of the Brazilian Rhetoric Society (SBR) and held a position in its Advisory Board. She was also a member of the International Society for the History of Rhetoric (ISHR), of the Ibero-American Rhetoric Organization (OIR) and of the Latin-American Rhetoric Society.
Her innovative ideas and her dedication to research was also materialized in a large number of publications. Two collective works draw attention: the books Retóricas de Ontem e de Hoje (Rhetorics of Yesterday and Today) and Discurso, Argumentação e Produção de Sentido (Discourse, Argumentation and Meaning Making), both edited by Humanitas/FFLCH-USP. She also authored book chapters and forewords, along with many papers in national and international scientific journals.
In this moment, the sadness for her loss overwhelms all those who shared their lives with her, but, in time, it will be her unique style of being and acting that will remain present in the people who study argumentation in Brazil and, thus, in their works and words.