L'institutionnalisation de l'interdisciplinarité au sein de l'Université brésilienne : le cas des sciences de l'environnement.

Institutionalization of interdisciplinarity in the Brazilian university: the case of environmental sciences.

Production of academic knowledge in the past two centuries has been marked by a clear trend towards specialization. The considerable importance currently gained by environmental issues, as seen through the lense of sustainable development, has promoted significant changes in this scenario and highlighted the need for interdisciplinary approaches (de-specialization). The recent creation of interdisciplinary master's and doctoral training programs in Brazil faces a range of obstacles related to the general crisis prevailing in University. Using examples taken from Brazilian graduate programs, our paper outlines and analyzes critically the programs focused on environmental issues nationwide and shows the significant limitations and challenges incurred in building this new field of knowledge. Despite a growing trend towards "environmentalization" of some disciplines, the issue at stake is to interdisciplinarize the focus on sustainable development. The consolidated programs are presented according to the specific institutional arrangements adopted by them. They clearly reflect a need to act creatively in order to break through the impenetrable structure of disciplinary departments. To conlcude, the idea of building a network structure within University is argued as a possible alternative, a solution that does not deny the role of traditional departments, but opens spaces for their interaction with interdisciplinary units and programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depuis quelques décennies, la production de connaissances dans le milieu académique est marquée par une notable tendance à la spécialisation. La question de l'environnement et du développement durable, qui est très présente, provoque un débat sur la nécessité d'établir des espaces interdisciplinaires au sein des universités. Au Brésil, la récente insertion des formations interdisciplinaires au niveau du master et du doctorat a lieu dans un contexte institutionnel difficile, qui est l'expression de la crise générale de l'Université dans ce pays. Le texte présente des experiences novatrices de mise en place de formations sur le développement durable, met en évidence les obstacles et rend compte des stratégies pour leur généralisation dans les universités, leur validation et leur accréditation. En conclusion, l'idée d'une Université-réseau apparaît comme une formule possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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