Uma concepção de ciência, universidade e política a partir da visão dos atores envolvidos no processo de escolha dos gestores da UFFS

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to investigate the concept of science adopted by the Federal University of Fronteira Sul and its relationship with the process of dialogue with other existing forms of knowledge. The starting point was the theoretical understanding according to which the relationship between scientific knowledge and common sense requires a double hermeneutic, in the terms formulated by Anthony Giddens, purifying the first and qualifying the second. Furthermore, it aimed to understand to what extent science and politics are situated in specific fields, driven by differentiated rationalities, but not subject to separation. This theoretical articulation that discusses Science, University and Politics is proposed from three renowned thinkers: in addition to Anthony Giddens, also Boaventura de Sousa Santos and Max Weber. The research was conducted from a hermeneutic perspective, having a qualitative approach, using in-depth semi-structured interviews as a data collection tool. The definition of the sample had as a selection criterion entities representing civil society that participated in the process of choosing the managers of the Federal University of Fronteira Sul, which took place in 2019, as well as professors of the Institution's Higher Education, who were prominent characters in the managements and UFFS elections. From the discourse analysis, articulated with the theoretical framework, it was noticed that the way in which the UFFS institution conceives, produces and, especially, disseminates scientific knowledge is still insufficiently purified, in the sense of dialoguing with the greatest desires of society. In the same way, the formal mechanisms of attempt to democratize the Institution have more instrumental than practical effect, especially because they focus on the political dimension of electoral processes, while society's expectations are primarily focused on the scientific responses that the University is capable of producing and socializing in an accessible way to the lay citizen.