Universidade pública entre margens, travessias e rupturas: relações e (re)ações da Ufopa com a sociedade no contexto neoliberal

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between society, education, and public universities in neoliberal times. With a focus on the Amazonian environment, the research is centered on the Federal University of Western Pará (Ufopa), established by Law number 12,085, of November 5, 2009. Created in a promising context for higher education in the country, Ufopa, like the other federal public universities established since 2003, was created based on an innovative university model, focused on breaking away from traditional modes marked by rigid structures, elitism, and social inequality and turning to institutional projects to bring society closer together and include diverse social groups. While these innovative models can challenge the educational structure, promote political, social, and epistemological changes, and contribute to human emancipation, it is believed that these institutions can have their historical process reconfigured amid the neoliberal reforms implemented by the State, especially since 2016. From this perspective, the main objective of this study was to analyze the historical development of the Federal University of Western Pará (2009-2021) in order to recognize in the academic conceptions and practices of the institution its relations and interactions with the surrounding communities in order to identify convergences and divergences in relation to the neoliberal conception and/or emancipatory proposals. This led to the specific objectives. Methodologically, it followed a bibliographical and documentary approach, guided by the dialectical framework and Dermeval Saviani's Historical-Critical Pedagogy. Various institutional documents were analyzed, with special attention to research and extension policies and how these actions connect with local needs and realities, such as the Amazon's floodplain communities. The study points out that, despite neoliberal policies influencing the historical processes of public universities, directing normative acts, institutional policies, and academic practices, these institutions, particularly Ufopa, have directed their research and extension actions towards the public and collective interests of society, contributing significantly to the dissemination of emancipatory knowledge and to the strengthening of democratic and collective achievements. However, it has also been observed that the university's interaction with some communities is still limited, especially in relation to groups such as floodplain dwellers and other traditional populations in the Amazon, who face significant challenges. In view of this, it reinforces the need to strengthen the relationship between the public university and the working class in the face of the growing commercialization of higher education and the particularities of a capitalist society marked by crises and contradictions.