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The Social and Cultural Roles of the University of Coimbra (1537-1820). Some Considerations

Description

Abstract:
The University of Coimbra in Portugal shared the common calling of universities of preparing future ruling elites, but it fulfilled this mission in its own way. Considering the period 1537-1820, this paper presents some indicators of its specific social and cultural roles, such as the evolution of the numbers of students, their geographical origins (including a significant contribution from Brazil), and the kind of knowledge they were seeking. A second cluster of considerations focuses on the relationship with political (and ecclesiastical) power, not only in terms of the representation of the University’s instrumental function, but also of its subsequent actual behavior—combining protection and control—such as in the granting of funding resources, the appointment of professors and academic authorities, and mechanisms conditioning access to future careers.
A Universidade de Coimbra participou na vocação comum às universidades de formar as elites dirigentes mas fê-lo à sua própria maneira. Tomando como referência o período que vai de 1537 a 1820, este artigo apresenta alguns indicadores das funções sociais e culturais que desempenhou, tais como a evolução da frequência estudantil, as origens geográficas dos estudantes (com um significativo contributo do Brasil) e o tipo de conhecimento que procuravam. Um segundo conjunto de considerações centra-se na relação da Universidade com os poderes político e eclesiástico, quer no que toca à representação da função instrumental que ela devia desempenhar, quer mediante a análise dos comportamentos que tal concepção acarretava consigo – num misto de protecção e controlo – tais como a afectação de recursos, a nomeação de professores e autoridades académicas e a criação de filtros condicionadores das futuras carreiras dos graduados.

Citation

Fonseca, Fernando Taveira da, "The Social and Cultural Roles of the University of Coimbra (1537-1820). Some Considerations" (2007). e-Journal of Portuguese History. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. https://doi.org/10.26300/s275-rt17

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Collection:

  • e-Journal of Portuguese History

    The e-Journal of Portuguese History (e-JPH) (ISSN: 1645-6432) is an international peer-reviewed scholarly journal with the objective of providing publication of work on historical subjects, especially those concerning themes and topics of Portuguese history analyzed in a comparative perspective. It …

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