The History, Politics and Cultural Heritage Academic Master’s and Doctoral Degree Program (hereafter PPHPBC) endeavors to train leading professionals at the vanguard of methodological and epistemological debates that characterize the fields of history and social sciences, emphasizing the historical dimension of social phenomena and the adoption of an interdisciplinary perspective.
Watch the introductory video.
Why choose the academic master’s and doctorate?
INTERDISCIPLINARY VISION
Established in 2007 within the framework of the Center for Research and Documentation on Contemporary Brazilian History at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV CPDOC) and the School of Social Sciences, at its conception PPHPBC reflected in its fields of study and research the main characteristic of the institution: interdisciplinarity. Indeed, interdisciplinarity is one of the most esteemed and renowned attributes of the institution and of the faculty responsible for the master’s and doctorate program. Embracing the interface between studies of history, politics, and cultural heritage, we endeavor to educate master’s and doctoral candidates with a strong interest in the contemporary dimensions of Brazilian and world political and cultural history, capable of translating this enthusiasm into innovative ways of conducting historical research in dialogue with the social sciences.
RESEARCH AREAS
PPHPBC is organized around the field of study “History, Politics and Cultural Heritage.” In the case of PPHPBC’s academic degree program, this inherent thematic diversity is structured into three research areas. The first is “Institutions and Politics,” encompassing studies dedicated to a better understanding of the processes of institution-building and decision-making within governmental structures, in addition to exploring the role of political and social leaders, as well as their multiple and complex interfaces with broader political institutions. The second research area refers to “Memory and Culture,” which brings together lines of investigation addressing the concepts of heritage, culture (material and immaterial), tradition and representation. There is also the “International Relations” research area, focused on transformations in the international order, nation-states foreign policies, as well as the international actions of non-state actors. The regular offering of a varied set of courses linked to the three research areas that comprise PPPHPBC provides the student body with solid interdisciplinary training, enabling them to use varied methodological tools to build their research agendas.
MULTIDISCIPLINARY FACULTY
The PPHPBC faculty profile reflects precisely the interdisciplinary inspiration that oriented the creation of FGV CPDOC, integrating historians, anthropologists, sociologists, and political scientists. To provide its students with excellent training, faculty are dedicated to maintaining their scholarship and teaching up-to-date, both through international training experiences, and through courses in the digital humanities, a field in constant development in the department’s research and teaching agenda. Faculty are also committed to encouraging the integration of students into the academic environment at FGV CPDOC, whether through direct participation in research projects conducted by faculty members, or through participation in the numerous activities of the research working groups (“labs”), thereby exposing students to complementary educational and intellectual experiences.
A COMMITMENT TO INTERNATIONALIZATION
PPHPBC prioritizes internationalization by creating the conditions that enable faculty members to seek qualification abroad, further developing their international careers, and by supporting our students’ search for excellence and singular training with mobility and access to institutions abroad. Through exchange agreements with foreign universities, FGV CPDOC receives students from other countries and sends our students for an experience abroad. Additionally, PPHPBC offers three opportunities annually for students to apply for competitive grants to participate in national or international events, helping to establish a network of contacts within the academic community and a broad social milieu for student research. Most recently, PPHPBC was honored to receive approval for its Institutional Project “Data Science and the Social Sciences,” within the scope of the CAPES Institutional Internationalization Program, CAPES-Print, to further develop our commitment to the internationalization of our graduate programs. We continue to endeavor to provide every possible incentive for our students and instructors to develop and improve their education with foreign exchanges that enhance their learning and teaching knowledge and depth of experience.
Field of study and research areas
The program is comprised of one field of study with two research areas. Focusing the intellectual investment upon which the academic activities of the program are based, the field of study “History, Politics and Cultural Heritage” encompasses the major areas of research in history, politics, and culture conducted by faculty and students..
Research on institutions and politics is at the root of CPDOC’s identity and is the hallmark of production by a significant number of participating faculty in the program.
The history of memory and the fundamental role it has in the constitution of social identities are central to the work developed by many program faculty members
Curriculum
Academic Master’s Program
Students must complete two required courses (History and Social Theory, and Research Methods and Techniques), two elective courses, and two research seminars. The latter course is part of the preparation for the master’s thesis and is organized by the advisors. The course History and Social Theory, always offered in the first semester, discusses how the disciplines of history and the social sciences have enriched each other in past decades. The course emphasizes major topics where this connection has proved to be most fruitful: social history and the new political history, historical sociology, and cultural history. The course maps out recent theoretical debates in history and presents these debates to the master’s degree program students.Academic PhD program
Students must complete one required course (Research Methods and Techniques), two elective courses, and five research seminars, which may correspond to elective courses of a methodological nature or to seminars intended to support them in the development of their dissertation. The seminars are conducted by the advisors. For students without any background in the study of history, the course History and Social Theory — required in the master’s program — is strongly recommended.
Over the years, CPDOC has worked to promote and expand international cooperation with research and higher education institutions abroad through joint conferences, events, seminars, courses, research projects and publications. Additionally, the Center has also increased its promotion and exchanges between faculty, researchers, and students.
The CAPES-Print Program
The objective of the CAPES Institutional Internationalization Program is to foster the development, implementation, and consolidation of strategic graduate program internationalization plans. CPDOC participates in the program under the rubric “Innovation and Technology,” which includes the Institutional Project “Data Science and the Social Sciences.”
Completed academic master’s theses and doctoral dissertations
Digital versions of the theses and dissertations produced by PPHPBC students can be consulted on the FGV Digital Repository page: