The Brazilian policy of funding scholarship abroad :the case of CAPES

摘要

This thesis is a study on the Brazilian policy of funding scholarships abroadudfor postgraduate studies. The main purpose of this research is to analyse theudchanging rationale for this type of investment over time. The focus of theudinvestigation is on the Programme of Scholarships Abroad of CAPES, a majorudfunding agency of scholarships for postgraduate studies in Brazil and abroad.udTo do this, the research was conceptualised in two distinct layers ofudinvestigation. The first layer referred to the historical processes that have shaped theudissue of education abroad in Brazil. In the other layer of investigation, the way theudpolicy of CAPES was and is put into practice was examined. To link these twoudlayers of investigation, research interviews with people who know the Brazilianudacademic environment well were conducted. In order to develop these themes, theudthesis has been strategically divided into six chapters.udChapter One is the Introduction when the problem is located, the strategyudadopted to develop the topic is explained, and the concepts most used in theudresearch are defined. Chapter Two provides a historical review of the custom ofudstudying abroad among Brazilian upper classes, from colonial times up to the early twentieth century. Chapter Three describes the emergence of an institutionaludinfrastructure to build up high-level personnel, from the fifties onwards. Chapter IVudprovides a type of more detailed information on what scholarships abroad consist inudpractice, where a set of numerical data is offered. Chapter V is the analysis of theudinterviews collected during the fieldwork.udFinally, the closing Chapter VI is an attempt to bring together the evidenceudgathered throughout this study and to present an overall interpretation of the role ofudthe policy of scholarships in Brazil.