The construction of a “strong usp”: continuity and change in the institutional power of usp (1934–2024)

Abstract

The history of the University of São Paulo has been narrated and contested from various perspectives. However, one perspective has been relatively unexplored: that which emphasizes the institutional power of the university, namely the formation of its central administration and corresponding governing body. Acknowledging this gap, the present article proposes to outline the lengthy process of constructing the institutional power of usp, demonstrating how, despite changes over time, this power has been and continues to be concentrated in the traditional professional hub of the university, comprised notably of the Schools of Law, Medicine, and Engineering, both in the capital and throughout the state’s interior.