Serviço social na história: apontamentos ao legado do projeto acadêmico-profissional da escola de serviço social da Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais (1972-1975)

Abstract

This thesis presents an analytical reconstruction of the curriculum restructuring of the School of Social Work at the Catholic University of Minas Gerais (ESS-UCMG) during the period from 1972 to 1975, in alignment with the Latin American Reconceptualization Movement. The premise is that this pioneering and bold experience – which manifested through theoretical elaboration, enabling a curricular restructuring of the School's professional training project, as well as concrete experimentation in outreach projects and field placements, notably the consolidation of the BH Method – remained insufficiently deciphered by Brazilian Social Work theoretical production (Batistoni, 2021). The investigation process relied on recovering the ESS-UCMG's training project through access to documents that systematize the theoreticalmethodological path evident in the experience, which resulted in a curricular restructuring of the courses and in the practical training and outreach experiences developed during the period. Additionally, the thesis contextualizes this process by analyzing the Brazilian economic and social formation, marked by the impacts of uneven and combined economic development that affected the dynamic of the class struggle in the country and influenced Social Work. Methodologically, the investigation was based on the articulation between bibliographic and documentary research, utilizing seminal academic productions (Portella, 1992; Barbosa, 1998; Silva, 1991) and key documents such as the Basic Document for Curriculum Reform, the ESSUCMG Restructuring Project, and records of the pilot experience of the BH Method in ItabiraMG. Furthermore, testimonies from the professionals involved in the experience were recovered through secondary sources – including Silva's thesis (1991), lecture transcripts, and published interviews – allowing access to the memory of this period through oral history. This plurality of sources enabled a comprehensive analysis of the object of study. In summary, the thesis offers an analytical reconstruction of the ESS-UCMG curriculum restructuring, highlighting its significance both for the Latin American Reconceptualization Movement and for the critical debate on professional training in Brazilian Social Work.