What kind of university? Reflections on the trajectory, identity and perspectives of the brazilian public university

The paper offers an interpretation about the Brazilian university trajectory since its creation until today, highlighting the tensions and contradictions in that process, considering the conflicting conceptions of the university among some important social actors. A brief history is presented, putting the reader in the context of the institution trajectory, seeking, ahead, to point out and to analyze those conceptions and alternatives. Data and information were collected from bibliographical sources as well as official and institutional documents. In general, it is possible to say the history of the university was built in a context of authoritarian relations, implicating a lack of autonomy of the institution. The public university was recently expanded, culminating with the current policy of search for internationalization. As a general conclusion, it is quite clear that Brazilian society has to improve its democratic system, to define what kind of society the country needs in order to define which university it needs How to reference this article Ésther, A. B. (2015). Que universidade? Reflexões sobre a trajetória, identidade e perspectivas da universidade pública brasileira. Espacio, Tiempo y Educación, 2(2), 197-221. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14516/ete.2015.002.002.010