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ABSTRACT
This article discusses the relationship between university and popular classes as an alternative to the privatist tendencies of higher education policies, as well as science and technology, in Brazil, in this period of transition from the neo-developmental project to the deepening of counter-reforms, which started in the 1990s. The subject is developed from bibliographical and documental research (Brazilian legislations), besides testimonies from Brazilian researchers who have worked together with family farmers, smallholders, settlers, and recyclable material collectors that are organised in cooperatives and associations. Our analyses are structured in dialogue with the hypothesis of dysfunctionality of the university. A review of higher education and science and technology policies is carried out and considered in regard to inclusion and the relationship with the popular classes. Our focus is on the first decade of the twenty-first century, a brief period of neo-developmentalism that ended with the deepening of the current counter-reforms. Initially, it is analyzed the higher education. Then, it is discussed the trends in Science and Technology policy. This is followed by analyzes of the relationship between university and popular classes, an alternative that is carried out contradictorily. It is concluded that the University recreates itself by contributing to popular classes.
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Correction Statement
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Notes
1 Nine of the twelve interviewed researchers work together with cooperatives or associations of small farmers, or settlements. The other three work together with cooperatives of recyclable material collectors.
2 On this see Medeiros et al. (Citation2015).
3 TBM is an indicator of the absorption capacity of the educational system at a given level of education. It is conceptually defined by the total number of students enrolled (regardless of age) in relation to the total population at the age considered adequate to attend the level of education under analysis. PNE considers the population between 18 and 24 years old as the one who is at the reference age to attend graduation. Therefore, the TBM indicator in the undergraduate level indicates, approximately (without considering unfilled vacancies), what is the absorption capacity of all the undergraduate courses of the country in relation to the size of the population from 18 to 24 years of age. (Brazil, INEP 2016, 272 and 273).
4 Source: Agência Gestão CT&I: Brasil perde posições em ranking de competitividade. In: http://agenciacti.com.br/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10120:brasil-retrocede-em-tecnologia-e-inovacao-devido-a-reducao-de-pad&catid=163:gestao&Itemid=227) Accessed on 26/07/2017.
5 It should be noted that in Brazil the highest percentage of patent applications are of foreign origin: ‘In 2013, for example, the percentage of applications for foreign patents in the country was 76.6% (26,075 of the 34,050 applications)’ (Soares et al. Citation2016, 714).
6 In the original: ‘Y, también, al conferirle un carácter progresivo – de positividad intrínseca asociada al valor del conocimiento –, asegurar, legitimando y naturalizando, su hegemonía.’
7 In the original: ‘sofocante tiranía del pensamiento único.’
8 It corresponds to the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications (MCTIC), according to: Brasil. Lei 13. 341. Altera as Leis n os 10.683, de 28 de maio de 2003, que dispõe sobre a organização da Presidência da República e dos Ministérios, e 11.890, de 24 de dezembro de 2008, e revoga a Medida Provisória n o 717, de 16 de março de 2016. 2016. [10/07/2017] Available in: http://www4.planalto.gov.br/legislacao/portal-legis/legislacao-1/leis-ordinarias/2017-leis-ordinarias.
9 The theoretical foundation of the alternative category is the labour as it is considered by Marx and Lukács.
10 The category of self-determination is based on Mészáros (Citation2007).
11 In the original:
(…) propongo un neologismo: ‘exvestigación’, que sería construir conocimiento en conjunto con estudiantes y movimientos sociales ‘para fuera’ y no ‘para dentro’ del mundo de la universidad y de la ciencia como lo hemos hecho hasta ahora. Ese proceso sería problem oriented y policy oriented, y no orientado por disciplinas o simplemente para conocer sin comprometernos con el cambio. Esto es algo que no estamos acostumbrados a hacer; si bien existen propuestas e iniciativas importantes en el campo de la investigación participante o de la investigación acción, la universidad es vista por nosotros (y por eso, por el conjunto de la sociedad) como el reino de la verdad y no como territorio de la política (en el doble sentido que tiene en nuestra lengua, de policy y de politics); como si fuese possible hacer conocimiento no politizado. (Our emphasis).