School of Social Sciences | CPDOC

CPDOC

The Center for Research and Documentation on Contemporary Brazilian History (CPDOC) is the School of Social Sciences at Fundação Getulio Vargas. The institution was established in 1973 and its main objectives are to house important documentary collections related to the recent history of the country, conduct research in its field of expertise, and offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Historical Archives and Education

Today, CPDOC's 1.5 million documents form the most important archive of private records of Brazilian public figures, composed of over 220 collections. With more than 7,500 hours of recordings from approximately 1,800 interviews, CPDOC's archives represent the most important collection of its kind in the country. Handwritten and printed texts, photographs, records, films, and audio and video interviews are continuously being added to the collection. Some of those archives are digitalized and available at the Archives Guide.

In 1975, the Oral History Program was created and has been recording testimonials from important personalities in the national scenario.  A fair amount is digitalized and available at the Oral History database.

CPDOC offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, and provides a range of continuing education activities. Teaching is consciously included as part of the current research agendas of faculty members.

Students taking the Social Sciences and History degrees may choose minor areas of expertise in Politics and Society, Culture and Society, and International Relations. We also offer specific training in applied research and audiovisual and documentary production. The close bonds of intellectual fellowship that form among our students are one of the great rewards of pursuing a degree here.

CPDOC also offers academic and professional masters and doctoral programs. Subfields represented among faculty include a broad spectrum of backgrounds, approaches, and substantive interests. They include political history, international relations and global history, sociology and social thought, anthropology, political science, comparative politics, urban studies, research methods, public policy, social history, cultural history, and applied research. 

Long recognized for our commitment to the integration of history and the social sciences, CPDOC has in recent years added new strength in applied research. Our encouragement of diverse approaches and their fusion are evident in both our faculty and our curriculum. Our work explicitly crosses over disciplinary boundaries. CPDOC is a vital and diverse intellectual community of scholars and students.

CPDOC

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