De UnU a UFU: movimentos de criação e federalização de uma universidade no município de Uberlândia, 1957-78

Abstract

This research is part of the History and Historiography of Education line within the Postgraduate Program in Education at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU). Its research object is UFU between the years 1957 and 1978; this period is associated with the beginning of higher education in the municipality – in 1957 – through isolated colleges, the unification of colleges into the University of Uberlândia (UnU) – in 1969 – and its federalization in 1978. The general objective was to understand, within the context of the history of universities in Brazil, the national and local political movements that led to the creation and federalization of UFU, in order to elucidate the role played by local leaders throughout the process. We hypothesized that UFU resulted from a political movement engendered by local leaders in Uberlândia, imbued with a development spirit that envisioned a city linked to the ideal of progress, supported by the national political movement to expand and internalize universities. To support the research, specific documents from the studied period were consulted, which deal with the creation of higher education courses in Uberlândia, the implementation of the university, and its federalization. These documents included passed legislation, minutes from the Municipal Council of Uberlândia, photos, personal archives, and archived testimonies from individuals involved in the processes. Additionally, newspapers from that time were used as sources of information, namely: O Correio de Uberlândia, Tribuna de Minas, O Triângulo, and O Repórter. The documentary research was accompanied by theoretical foundation work, drawing on extensive specialized bibliography and academic works focusing on Uberlândia, the military government, and UFU. Emphasis was given to the social, economic, and political movements conceived by the local elite and their representatives in national politics. The research highlights that the genesis, development, and federalization of UFU are the result of movements devised by local leaders and their political representatives (essentially during the civil-military government) in favor of a project to build an industrial and modern city. These movements aligned with the national development policy to expand and internalize higher education with a technical orientation aimed at providing the necessary workforce for the market. The local leaders in Uberlândia positioned themselves as allies of the military government – marked by repression, torture, and violence – enabling not only the creation of the University but also its federalization. The thesis argues that the federalization of the University of Uberlândia was only achieved almost ten years after its creation – even though it was intended to be federal from the beginning – because the same group that created it remained in the institution as leaders of the isolated colleges that composed it and did not conceive of losing the autonomy that was vested in the existing colleges, even after the university's corporatization. Thus, the university was created and federalized by movements originating from a ruling group in Uberlândia – in tune with national policy – which, in return, was also responsible for the delay in the federalization's realization.