Silke Weber, by José Batista Neto

Abstract

Silke Weber, PhD in Sociology from Paris Descartes University (1972), is an Emeritus Professor at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and a Permanent Professor of the Graduate Program in Sociology at UFPE. In this volume, she gives an interview to José Batista Neto, PhD in Science Education from Paris Descartes University (1998) and Professor of the Department of Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Graduate Program in Education at UFPE. Weber talks about her educational back-ground, focused on an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional approach to teaching; about her relationship with Paulo Freire, which permeated her academic and professional experience; about her position as Secretary of Education for the State of Pernambuco, the challenges she faced and the contributions made to the constant struggle for the democratization of education; and also reflects on the changes perceived in the Brazilian national panorama.  The professor draws parallels between the dictator-ship of the 1960s and 1970s, the redemocratization of the 1980s and 1990s, and the current downgrading of higher education, which has been in effect since 2015, comparing the challenges experienced in all of these eras and offering her perspective on the future of Brazilian higher education.