Breaking Down the Walls Separating University and Grassroots Movements in Brazilian and Canadian Contexts

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Addressing Inequalities Through Collective Action (Table 4)

Abstract

This paper discusses the social role of universities in light of current neoliberal policies. Based on two different research contexts, Brazil and Canada, we explore how the relationship between universities and social movements is crucial in university participation in social justice and can contribute to developing complex learning and preparing students and scholars to become informed and engaged citizens. The research method was autoethnographic case study. We discovered that both Brazilian and Canadian public universities are rooted in social movements, and are still connected in some ways to their origin by offering opportunities to break down the walls that separate the university from the grassroots movements, and the academic knowledge from the knowledge practiced/produced in their struggles for rights.

Authors

• Audrey Dahl, Université du Québec à Montréal

• Inny Accioly, Universidade Federal Fluminense