University extension during the dictatorship: conceptions and relationships with the national security and development doctrine

Abstract

This aim of this study is to discuss the development of university extension during the civil and military dictatorship, demonstrating institutional and normative actions of the various governments of the day, the conceptions of extension that were involved and identified and their relationship with the National Security and Development Doctrine. The time frame begins with Law Number 5.540/68, which ushered in university reform with a specific proposal for university extension. This lasted until 1987, a year that saw the creation of the Forum of Deans for the Extension of Public Universities, which had a different approach to extension. It was from this approach that the principle of inseparability was derived, as declared in the Constitution of 1988. The sources used for this study include official documents, especially Law Number 5.540/68 and the University Extension Work Plan of 1975. The theoretical framework is based on Roger Chartier’s concept of representations. The main results of the study include the existence of a national extension policy at the time, when universities were involved with development. However, despite this focus on aiding needy communities and regions, the education and qualification of students continued to be taken into consideration.