Book about the history of the IEA now has an English version
| Roseli de Deus Lopes, director of the IEA, speaks during the directors' conference of the UBIAS network. |
A year after the launch of "Advanced in What? The Pioneering Trajectory of the Institute of Advanced Studies of the University of São Paulo," the publication is now available in English. The version of the book, authored by former Director Guilherme Ary Plonski and historian Roney Cytrynowicz, was presented to the public during the directors' conference of the University-Based Institutes for Advanced Study (UBIAS) network, hosted by the Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) in Ghana, from November 4 to 6. The content can be accessed on the USP Open Books Portal.
"Making the account of IEA’s journey in the contemporary lingua franca intertwines two closely related historical milestones: the almost four decades since the creation of our Institute and the 15 years since the establishment of the global network. It also substantially contributes to the process of prospective reflection within the community of IASs, as agreed upon in Accra," said Plonski after having joined the interinstitutional meeting.
Words by him make up the introductory note to the volume, as do those of Professor Roseli de Deus Lopes. Together, they directed the IEA from April 2020 to April 2024. Both recall that the President of USP at the time of the Institute's creation, Professor José Goldemberg, to whom the book is dedicated, had firsthand knowledge of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, in the USA, and "understood that it was the strategic model to revitalize the University after the dramatic period experienced under an authoritarian regime," referring to the military dictatorship in Brazil. According to them, this is the reason why Goldemberg assigned the IEA the mission of "fostering new ideas resulting from the coexistence, confrontation, and interaction between the various areas of intellectual work," as described by its founder 39 years ago.
The book delves into the cultural context that has led to the creation of the IEA and presents its trajectory based on research and interviews conducted by Cytrynowics, a work made possible by partners Itaú Foundation and the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), as pointed out by Plonski and Lopes. For them, the Institute owes the reported advances largely "to the fact that it is integrated into the vibrant community of USP," which is why the launch of the original Portuguese version has been included in the celebrations of the University's 90th anniversary.
The current President of USP, Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Júnior, has been one of the people to write for the book's introduction, in which he highlights the role played by the Institute throughout its history in promoting the academic excellence of the University, "incessantly seeking to extend the boundaries of knowledge in various areas of learning." In addition to emphasizing IEA's focus on interdisciplinarity and intellectual collaboration, Carlotti Júnior has noted that several of the Institute's works have informed public policies in areas essential to Brazil, such as education and health.
The President has highlighted that even without having its own faculty and student body, the IEA manages to bring together professors and students from 80% of USP's teaching units, museums, and specialized institutes in its research teams in addition to contributing to academic exchange with other Brazilian and foreign institutions. Furthermore, he has praised the fact that the IEA is a founding member (2010) and integrated the coordination (2019-2021) of UBIAS, which brings together 47 IASs linked to universities on the five continents, something that "has enhanced the international projection of USP."
The Vice-President of USP, Maria Arminda do Nascimento Arruda, has contributed to the publication by addressing the context of the Brazilian redemocratization in which the IEA was created: "It has been envisioned as a place where researchers, scientists, intellectuals, artists, journalists, and public figures could coexist and design a renewed University in line with the new times." She has stated that the IEA collaborated in the democratic construction of the country, "insofar as it reflected on our issues, gave voice to those who opposed obscurantism, and, in short, embraced the enlightened role of a contemporary University of its time."
"This enlightened spirit that was at the origin of the IEA has not been lost, as can be seen in the Institute's actions, aimed at welcoming and reflecting on the new directions of an inclusive, differentiated, and socially democratic University while not abandoning the advanced agenda of knowledge and science," wrote Arruda.
Support
Representatives of the partners, who provided financial support for the production and publication of the book, have also enriched the material. Eduardo Saron, President of the Itaú Foundation, has stated that the partnership with USP was born through the IEA and from the "mutual desire to develop strategic, lasting, and impactful initiatives." The objective has always been "to contribute to emancipatory public policies that facilitate structural changes in education and culture."
Saron has mentioned the two initiatives that received the most attention from the partnership. The Alfredo Bosi Chair of Basic Education, inaugurated in 2019 to study innovative practices and training programs that promote significant advances in proposals for basic education, got support during its first five years. The Olavo Setubal Chair – Transversalities: Art, Culture, Science, and Education, in turn, has been fostered since its implementation in 2016 to enable the construction of a "vast legacy based on studies that encompass cultural management, the role of culture in society, and transversal discussions on art and science."
The executive secretary of CGI.br, Hartmut Richard Glaser, has said that the Oscar Sala Chair, a result of the partnership between the Committee and the IEA, enables multidisciplinary exchange between knowledge from diverse areas. In the first semester of 2025 it offered the postgraduate course "Economics, Culture and Power on the Internet" in the pursuit of strengthening and cultivating expertise about the internet, its impact, functioning, applications, and tools. "In this way, USP and CGI.br expand the horizon of digital technologies that favor technological advancement, innovation, and the fundamental right of access to information and communication."