Transformations in the Social Space of the Deans of Universities in the Southeast of Brazil

Objective: this article examines transformations in the social space of presidents and rectors of higher education institutions in Southeast Brazil between 1990 and 2019. Theoretical approach: drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s sociology, the study analyzes the distribution of capital and power relations among these university leaders, assuming that their configuration reflects broader changes in the structure and dynamics of the Brazilian university field. Method: the research combines qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data on academic, professional, and institutional trajectories of university deans were collected from Lattes CVs curriculaand complementary sources, then analyzed through multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). Results: the findings reveal a space structured by two main oppositions: between a pole associated with higher volumes of scientific capital and another linked to political and economic capital; the other contrasting between agents from biological and health sciences, especially medicine, with and those from engineering, exact STEM sciences, and the humanities. Over the analyzed period, scientific capital became increasingly valued, particularly in public universities. Conclusion: the results qualify dominant interpretations of declining university autonomy and higher education commodification. Rather than indicating a homogeneous weakening of the academic field, the findings point to a reconfiguration marked by polarization between private institutions, more oriented toward political-economic capital, and public universities, where scientific-academic criteria increasingly legitimize university leaders.