CINVA Connections Brazil-Colombia: the presence of the Catholic Church in CINVA's educational project

• Grant number: 25/02714-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: October 28, 2025
• End date: December 04, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Fundamentals of Architecture and Urbanism
• Principal Investigator: Nilce Cristina Aravecchia Botas
• Grantee: Nilce Cristina Aravecchia Botas
• Visiting researcher: Ana Patricia Montoya Pino
• Visiting researcher institution: Universidad Nacional De Colombia, Sede Bogotá/Unal, Colombia
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FAU). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The visit of Professor Ana Patricia Montoya Pino takes place within the framework of the FAPESP Regular Research Project "Habitação e desenvolvimento na América Latina: o Centro Interamericano de Vivienda y Planeamiento (CINVA) como zona transnacional" (Process Nº 2022/07404-9). Revisiting the ambition of conducting a history that is "transnational" in scope, the presence of the Visiting Researcher proves to be of utmost relevance, both for the analysis and interpretation of sources and for the methodological and conceptual debates surrounding the themes developed within the scope of the aforementioned Project. The research project "Conexões CINVA Brasil-Colômbia: a presença da Igreja Católica no projeto educativo do CINVA", which follows as an outgrowth of the investigations undertaken so far, focuses on the connections of this inter-American institution, headquartered in Colombia, with Catholic ideals. The investigation delves into the trajectory of the agents and the interface between CINVA's educational project and what has been interpreted as a kind of secular mission of Catholics seeking to align their professional activities with Christian teachings. The notion of "mission" within the scope of housing issues takes as its reference the historical experience of the Mexican Cultural Missions, an initiative that had a significant impact on educational projects across the Americas, spearheaded by UNESCO and echoed in agencies such as CINVA. With a focus on these issues, the Visiting Researcher is expected to assist in forming a reference framework to guide the undertaking of new research within the FAU-USP library archive, particularly the collection of the former Centro de Pesquisa e Estudos Urbanísticos (CPEU). Research on CINVA conducted thus far has already highlighted the importance of dialogues between Latin American actors and institutions. By focusing on the Church's role, the research has underscored the contribution of the Economy and Humanism Movement in the training of professionals and the development of the planning field in Latin America, as well as the prominent role of Dominican priest Louis-Joseph Lebret. In São Paulo, the activities of the SAGMACS technical office also established significant connections with the CPEU. This archive is therefore a vital documentary source for further investigating the relationships between Brazilian agents and their counterparts in other Latin American countries, as well as the Catholic Church's role in the development of housing and planning policies during the 1950s and 1960s. The project also ties into ongoing research conducted by other students in the research group, such as doctoral candidate Beatriz Barsoumian de Carvalho, with her study "Entre a Casa Rural e a Favela: o planejamento regional na América Latina através do CINVA" (FAPESP Process Nº 2023/14745-0); doctoral candidate Juliana Silva Ramos, with her study "Bouwcentrum na América Latina (1958-1982): Transmissão de Conhecimento, do ICB aos Centros de Informação" (FAPESP Process Nº 2024/11322-3); and undergraduate student Matheus Bonini Machado, with his study "Interfaces rural-urbano na América Latina: um olhar para o diálogo CINVA-SUDENE" (FAPESP Process Nº 2022/13324-8). The Visiting Researcher will also participate in various events, details of which are outlined in the activity plan attached to the request. Highlights include participation in the III Seminário Internacional Investigação CINVA, the offering of the course "Habitação e Planejamento na América Latina", the curation workshop for the exhibition "CAMPO, CIDADE E (SUB)DESENVOLVIMENTISMOS: São Paulo, território latino-americano", involvement in the postgraduate program course at FAU-USP "Cultura, Arquitetura e Cidade na América Latina", attendance at work meetings with other researchers involved in the project, and participation in discussions held during meetings of the research group "Cultura, Arquitetura e Cidade na América Latin" (CACAL). (AU)