Inovação, ciência e os lugares da universidade

Abstract

The search for the ideal place is present in Brazilian culture, as illustrated by the expression “put yourself in your place”. And it also manifests itself in very diverse cultures, such as that of native Mexican tribes, as masterfully portrayed by the anthropologist and writer Carlos Castañeda in A erva do diabo. The article’s search for the university’s ideal place in the wider society, based on an examination of the notable inflections that the ideas of innovation and the university have undergone in recent history, reveals that there is no such point. The reasons are diverse. On the one hand, each university embodies a singular utopia. And, as a result of the intertwining of the trajectories of innovation and the university, the latter began to assume multiple roles in their respective societies. This article suggests a change of focus: instead of looking for “the” ideal place, cultivate university eutopias, achievable spaces that contribute to the materialization of the dreams of the societies that sustain them.