Relações entre os poderes político e religioso na construção de representações identitárias de instituições de ensino superior de confessionalidade católica

Abstract

This research project will explain the relation between the political and religious power in the construction of identitary representations of higher education institutions of Catholic confessionality (HEICC) in the period from1995 to 2010. Based on the Bourdieusian theory we consider the HEICC as an essential part of the educational field of higher education institutions (HEI). As such they suffer influences from both the political power, regarded as State power, and from the religious power legitimized in the Pope’s actions, the Congregation agents for Catholic Education of the Vatican, Archdioceses, Dioceses, Catholic Orders and Congregations and Inspectorates and Provinces which manage and keep HEICC in the Brazilian territory. We identified moments of tension, differences and negotiation in the relation between the powers. In order to analyze the identitary representations of HEICC we made use of cooperation agreements, laws and decrees, codes, constitutions and institutional sites of ninety-five HEICC. Through documental analysis we concluded that the core is constituted by institutions kept by Archdioceses and Dioceses and Catholic Orders and Congregations and presents three types of institutions: Pontifical or Ecclesiastical, Catholic and Catholic by right, butnot on the rule of law. We identified among the practices adopted by the agents of HEICC the creation of small HEI such as colleges, schools and Higher Institutes; Bachelor’s degree courses in Human, Social and Applied and Technological Sciences; demarcation of the indissociability of teaching, research and university extension courses; increase of Catholic institutions; formation of institutional networks; the inclusion of new sponsoring congregations originally not aimed towards the educational mission; transformation of religious professional schools into HEI; occupation of other local areas; adoption of organizational management policies, etc. The HEICC emphasize two points of view: One focused on the humanistic formation and another which seems to believe that this purpose must be altered in order to keep expanding in a competitive market. However it is common sense that being catholic mustbe demarcated in the field whether in mark or explanation of an ethical-christian formation.