[Managing science in the dictatorship: a profile of general directors of Capes, CNPq and Finep, 1964-1985].

Abstract

This article presents a prosopography of the leaders of science and technology policy in Brazil during the Military Dictatorship. We draw the social profile of the general directors of Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Ensino Superior (Capes), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (Finep) between 1964 and 1985, looking at variables such as gender, region of origin, course and university of training, and professional career. We proposed an approach anchored in historical sociology, analyzing the social trajectory of the agents and the conflicts in the academic-scientific field. The research revealed that the management of the science and technology policy during the dictatorship was controlled by male professors trained in traditional professional courses, a profile similar to that of the presidents of Brazilian universities.