Internacionalização na prática: o que dizem profissionais de relações internacionais em universidades públicas?

Abstract

Grounded in the theoretical and methodological instruments of Linguistics, this dissertation is situated within the field of Interactional Sociolinguistics and analyzes discursive interactions in the processes of internationalization in Brazilian higher education. It investigates how agents working in the International Relations Offices (IROs) of higher education institutions (HEIs) construct, through life narratives, beliefs, identities, and meanings about their professional practices within a context marked by institutional challenges and global transformations. Based on semi-structured interviews conducted with nine agents, the study adopts a discursive approach to understand the emergence of identity positioning in the narrative act, articulating interculturality, internationalization, and language policies. Programs such as Science without Borders and Languages without Borders are highlighted, as well as the teaching of Portuguese as a Foreign Language (PFL), understood as strategic mechanisms in this process. The analysis focuses on the use of the personal pronouns I, we, a gente, and you, examined as linguistic cues that reveal the attribution of responsibilities, the construction of institutional belonging, the assumption or dilution of agency, and face-saving strategies. The results show that such uses go beyond normative grammatical prescriptions, functioning as discursive resources sensitive to power dynamics, institutional tensions, and working conditions within IROs. The narratives point to recurring challenges—such as financial constraints, fragile public policies, and a shortage of qualified personnel—but also to significant advances, especially in strengthening language education, expanding PFL, and promoting more equitable opportunities for intercultural exchange. The dissertation understands internationalization as a discursive, institutional, and human practice, highlighting its structuring role in university transformation.