Brazil as a donor in higher education and science: public efforts towards South-South cooperation

• In Event: Exploring the shifting perspectives of donors to higher education in the Global South

Proposal

Global higher education is becoming an increasingly ‘multiplex’ space, with the decentering of traditional hegemonies and entrance of new influential national actors, regional blocs and transnational alliances (Acharya 2017; Marginson 2024; Moscovitz & Sabzalieva 2023). One of the important new actors is Brazil, a country that has moved from being a ‘recipient’ of aid funds for higher education (through the World Bank, Ford Foundation and various bilateral donor agencies), to being a regional powerhouse with increasing influence on higher education and scientific research beyond Latin America. This paper investigates Brazil’s role as a donor within the framework of South-South Cooperation, focusing on its public initiatives aimed at strengthening educational and scientific capacities internationally. By evaluating Brazil’s diverse programs and partnerships, this study highlights the country’s strategic efforts to promote equitable knowledge exchange and development across the Global South. The research draws on various documentary sources and OECD data, while also engaging with critical theories to frame the analysis, from Bourdieu’s field theory (2000) to recent scholarship on the new geopolitics of higher education and knowledge (Marginson, 2024; Moscovitz and Sabzalieva, 2023).

The paper addresses Brazil’s historical context of student mobility, noting its role in balancing the historical outflow of students to Europe and North America through internationalization efforts at Brazilian institutions. It underscores the nature of Brazil’s engagement, driven by its constitutional autonomy in higher education and collaboration with Global South institutions. Key initiatives considered in this paper include: (1) Student-Agreement Program (PEC-G and PEC-PG) of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE); (2) The Federal University for Latin American Integration (UNILA); (3) The University for International Integration of the Afro-Brazilian Lusophony (UNILAB); (4) Educational work of the Mercosul regional bloc; (5) Academic Cooperation in BRICS Countries; (6) Cooperation with PALOP (Association of African Portuguese-speaking countries) and CPLP (community of Portuguese speaking countries), highlighting the example of South-South Cooperation between Brazil and Cape Verde; (7) Emergency Academic Solidarity Program (PESA) for refugees. These various university partnerships illustrate Brazil’s commitment to fostering academic and research exchanges within a South-South framework which diverges markedly from dominant Northern practices in academic mobility and cooperation.

This exploration of Brazil’s contributions provides insight into how these efforts align with its broader goals of enhancing scientific and educational integration within the Global South and underscores the importance of continued investment in South-South educational and research collaborations. More broadly, the paper explores the changing nature of international higher education cooperation, and emergence of rationales that challenge the soft power and knowledge diplomacy orientations common in DAC countries (Knight 2023; Schendel et al. 2024). In particular, the analysis highlights the distinctive solidarity approach taken by Brazil, and its significance in reverting marketized practices of internationalization.

Authors

• Mario Luiz Neves de Azevedo, Universidade Estadual de Maringá - UEM

• Tristan McCowan, University College London

• Lee Rensimer, IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society