On May 8, FGV’s Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration (EBAPE) welcomed Professor Gaylord George Candler, from University of North Florida (UNF) – USA. The international guest spoke about the importance of Guerreiro Ramos both in academia and practical administration and political contexts.

Organized by the Coordination for the Professional Master’s in Public Administration (MAP), the lecture focused mainly on analyzing the work ‘Sociological Reduction’, published in 1965 in Brazil. Candler pointed out the analyses on race and inequality proposed by Guerreiro Ramos as being key elements in modern debates regarding public administration. More specifically, the U.S. professor made his point by emphasizing the relevance of the sociological reduction theory created by Guerreiro.

“The lecture showed us that Guerreiro Ramos’ work is a valuable foundation to promote innovative engagement and empowerment projects alongside public administration professionals and institutions in Brazil, as well as internationalizing administration research and practices in Brazil,” said IMPM coordinator Alexandre Faria, one of the event’s organizers.

The professor pointed out that there have been several debates and new scholar papers in recent years, both in Brazil and abroad, regarding the important legacy of Guerreiro Ramos. Celebrating Ramos’ centenary, the Special Edition of Cadernos EBAPE in 2015 is a valuable example of the extensive literature on such legacy. The theorizing process of administration in Brazil, under a developmental perspective that challenged the leading projects and theories on modernization and rationality, which, among other effects, relegated the field of administration in political, epistemic and disciplinary measures, is another important contribution by the author.

“The work ‘The New Science of Organizations’, published in the U.S. and now reissued by FGV Publisher, is one of the main milestones in a project of a multidimensional science that has shown its strength in the current context of successive crises in a market-centric and inhumane theorizing process. Finally, it is also important to point out the role of illustrious intellectual engaged in dynamic practices of national policy, and committed to major global challenges,” said Faria.

The debate also featured UNF’s Master’s candidates, who stressed that Guerreiro Ramos’ work is particularly important to overcome the dominant oligarchic perspective which also currently pervades the U.S. At the end of the meeting, professor Candler admitted that the engagement of researchers, students and professionals in Sociological Reduction and other works written by Guerreiro is important to overcome not only this looming threat of oligarchization, but especially the scenario of epistemic colonization observed in U.S. academia.

In addition to EBAPE and UNF students, the event also featured professors Roberto da Costa Pimenta (MAP coordinator), Alexandre Faria (IMPM coordinator), and Fatima Bayma (Education Management coordinator at EBAPE).