Abstract:
The idea of knowledge transfer has always been present in the relationship between university and society. The notion that the university should offer the popular classes the knowledge it produces is at the origin of the term extension and follow this throughout their historical trajectory. This article aims to explore the relationship between extension and transfer of knowledge from the analysis of international influences in brazilian university extension. The literature on extension in Brazil recognizes two international influences extension in practice in the country: the European Popular Universities and Land Grant Colleges US. To these two influences sum up the reform movement of Cordoba as a mark of origin of the extension in Brazil. Initially the three international influences on university extension in Brazil and how the idea of knowledge transfer appears in each of them initially are addressed. Then it presents the criticism of the idea of knowledge transfer from two authors reference for the Brazilian university extension: Paulo Freire and Michel Thiollent. Finally, the last section, we analyze the three influences in the face of criticism of the idea of knowledge transfer. The results suggest that the European and US influences are grounded in the perspective of knowledge transfer. The Latin American Popular Universities, in turn, seem to point to the criticism of the university and for overcoming an extension that promotes a guardianship relationship between the university and the popular classes.
Key words:
University extension; Knowledge transfer; Reform of Cordoba