Beyond the academic-professional dichotomy: postgraduate institutions, knowledge regulation, and the social relevance of science in Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study is to critically examine the potential artificiality of the dichotomies between basic/applied science and academic/professional postgraduate studies, demonstrating that both may not reflect the real dynamics of contemporary scientific production and, in particular, legal research. The objectives are to recover the historical genesis of these divisions, analyze their normative consolidation in Brazil, and present Use-Oriented Theoretical Research (UTTR) as a key to overcoming them, highlighting that theory and practice are complementary dimensions of investigation. The methodology adopted is theoretical-analytical and documentary, based on classic and contemporary authors of epistemology and the theory of science, and on the examination of legislation and regulations that structured stricto sensu postgraduate studies. The results indicate that the separation between basic and applied science does not correspond to existing scientific practice and that the distinction between academic and professional modalities is, at least in part, artificial, since academic programs frequently offer applied solutions and professional programs often update, review, or even formulate conceptual models. The main contribution lies in indicating that in Legal Sciences, the integration between theory and practice is constitutive, and that the adoption of PTOU as a reference can guide the reformulation of evaluation and funding criteria, strengthening the social relevance and theoretical rigor of Brazilian postgraduate studies.