From Inequality to the Democratization of University Access

Abstract

Higher education in Brazil dates back to the early 20th century, yet in the past, certain social groups were rarely represented in the student body. In recent times, there has been considerable expansion on several fronts, bringing in groups that had been largely excluded from university education in earlier periods. From the 2000s to the present, university expansion has wrought significant qualitative change. Social movements have made successful demands for affirmative action policies, and macro-level policies, based on criteria such as public school background, family income, and race/ethnicity, have been put into effect.Our analysis of the expansion and diversification of public higher education scrutinizes current macro policies that support affirmative action for Indigenous, Black, and marginalized students and examines how these policies affect the composition of student bodies, based on data from national research institutions. An overall goal is to reflect upon methods for promoting democratic transformation of higher education, geared toward diversification and equity and blending macro and micro policies at the legislative and university levels. We work with a largely macro perspective focused on the strengths and weaknesses of efforts to democratize higher education in Brazil during the decade of the 2000s.