Universitas semper reformanda?: the history of the University of São Paulo and the management discourse in light of the social structure

Author(s)

Maria Caramez Carlotto

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD)
• Defense date: 2014-09-05

Examining board members

Sylvia Gemignani Garcia; Luiz Antonio Constant Rodrigues da Cunha; Roberto Grun; Brasilio Joao Sallum Junior; Lilia Katri Moritz Schwarcz

• Advisor: Sylvia Gemignani Garcia

Abstract

Among the national and international literature upon the contemporary transformation of the universities, many studies underline the impact of the management knowledge on the reorganization of the procedures related to the decision, accountability and coordination of the academic work. Departing from these analysis, the present research intend to interrogate the role of the management discourse in the redefinition of the academic government of Brazilian university, emphasizing the relation with its social structure, expressed through the political, social and academic hierarchisation of university faculties. In that sense, this thesis is based on a case study about the São Paulo University one of the biggest, oldest, and most important research university of Brazil that suffered directly the impact of the management knowledge in the redefinition of its intern structure of government from the 1960 onwards. In general terms, the essential argument of this work is that the management discourse could impose itself in the São Paulo University through the action of the dominant pole, composed by the traditional-professional faculties that, due to its position in the social structure, achieved to impose its conception of university and academic government (AU)