In an Extraordinary University Assembly of the University Council (Consu) held this Thursday (10), Unicamp granted the title of professor emeritus to anthropologist Guita Grin Debert, who, for three and a half decades, worked as a professor in the Institute's Department of Anthropology of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH).
According to the opinion of the special committee that approved the granting of the title, Guita made a definitive contribution to the development of studies on old age and gender and to the institutionalization of Social Sciences in the country. The special committee was formed by professors Heloísa Pontes and Maria Filomena Gregori, both from IFCH, and professor Júlio Assis Simões, from the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences at USP (University of São Paulo).
In a document, the commission also highlighted that the honor is justified due to Guita's contribution to the development of studies on emerging themes, such as family, violence, gender and aging. Furthermore, Guita would have contributed to the consolidation of postgraduate studies in Brazil, with the training of new generations of researchers and the defense of intellectual work, citizenship and social justice.
Even though she is retired, Guita remains linked to the Postgraduate Programs in Social Anthropology and Social Sciences at IFCH, guiding researchers at all levels. She also remains associated with the Gender Studies Center (Pagu), with which she has collaborated since its creation in 1993, and of which she was coordinator in the 2007-2009 biennium.
To date, he has supervised 29 scientific initiation, 26 master's and 29 doctoral students and supervised four researchers in their post-doctoral work. “Academic life was very generous to me and today was yet another demonstration of this generosity”, said Guita upon receiving the title, alongside department colleagues, friends and family, such as Paula, his daughter and associate professor at the Institute of Psychology from USP, Ezequiel and Bila, her brothers, Lana, sister-in-law, and Ruth, cousin.
“I am receiving recognition for merits that are not exclusively mine. I am the representative of a generation”, she added, who took to the ceremony a basket of fluden – a crunchy, stuffed, thin-crust Jewish sweet. “It's a sweet normally consumed in religious ceremonies, but I decided to bring it here today to offer it to friends”, she explained.
Having completed his undergraduate degree in Social Sciences (1973), his master's degree in Political Science (1977) and his doctorate in Political Science (1986) from USP, Guita carried out post-doctoral studies in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley (USA). ), from 1989 to 1990. He also gave lectures and taught courses at foreign universities, including Columbia University (USA), School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (France) and the University of Bologna (Italy).
In 2003, the anthropologist was recognized as a full professor at Unicamp, a category for which she retired in 2018. In 2000, she received the Jabuti Prize for her book The reinvention of old age is on 2002, she was awarded the Zeferino Vaz academic award, which, according to the committee responsible for the award, reveals her commitment to student training.
In 2020, professor Guita Grin Debert was awarded the Roquette Pinto Medal for Contribution to Brazilian Anthropology, which pays tribute to people whose work and trajectory have made significant contributions to the development of Anthropology as a discipline and the Brazilian Anthropology Association (ABA) as an institution.
“A fighting intellectual”
The vice-rector of USP, professor Maria Arminda do Nascimento Arruda, was invited to be Guita's godmother, but was unable to attend the ceremony due to family mourning. She sent a text, which ended up being read by professor Maria Filomena Gregori.
Before starting to read, however, Maria Filomena made a personal statement about her relationship with Professor Guita. “She is more than a colleague. She helped me graduate. As a master of high skill in dealing with institutional relations, she taught me how to navigate this not always calm sea of the academic world”, said the friend. “A colleague who trained me and who was always there. A fighting intellectual. It is with great honor that I lend my voice here to the greeting of Professor Maria Arminda do Nascimento Arruda”, said Maria Filomena Gregori.
Maria Arminda said in the text that she was moved to have been chosen as Guita's godmother. “This is a source of honor for me. I was able to witness the different moments of his brilliant personal and academic trajectory, as well as his dedication to the National Association of Postgraduate Studies in Social Sciences and the Brazilian Association of Anthropology – organizations that contribute to the articulation and exchange between institutions and researchers in the field of Social Sciences in Brazil”, said Arminda.
The rector of Unicamp, professor Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles, said that the University is proud to have people like Guita Debert on its staff. He remembered names from the Humanities areas such as Paulo Freire, Maurício Tragtenberg, Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo, Maria da Conceição Tavares, Antonio Candido – all names that were in some way linked to Unicamp.
From the technological areas, he mentioned Maurício Prates, Rogério César de Cerqueira Leite and José Aristodemo Pinotti. The rector also recalled that Unicamp had a decisive role in the creation of the SUS (Unified Health System).
“This Unicamp interfered with the minds of its students, because it was a university that thought about the country. There were people like Professor Guita who illuminated the way to reflect on the country”, said the rector. “And this, in fact, is a trajectory that we have to work on to recover the role that our University and Brazilian universities already had”, added the rector.
Friend and colleague at all times
Professor Heloisa Pontes – who spoke on behalf of the Department of Anthropology – called Guita a “dear friend and colleague at all times”. “Guita dedicated his intelligence, creativity, energy, competence and the last 38 years of his life to the University”, said Heloísa.
“Her contribution to the qualified understanding of complex issues – family, life course, gender and violence, aging and care – combined with institutional engagement and committed work as a teacher and researcher have been deservedly recognized inside and outside Unicamp, both in Brazil as abroad”, added the colleague.
The director of IFCH, Andrea Galvão, recalled the long period in which Guita was at Unicamp and highlighted her importance as a teacher and manager. “Guita left profound marks on IFCH and Brazilian Social Sciences”, said the director. “Whether as a teacher or researcher, or as a manager”, she added. “Whether in our Institute or in the associations in which she worked,” she stated.
At ABA, Guita was a member of the organizing committee of the XVI Brazilian Anthropology Meeting, held at Unicamp in 1988, and held the positions of general secretary of the entity, between 1988 and 1990, and vice-president, between 2000 and 2002. At National Association of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Social Sciences (Anpocs), she was deputy secretary for two consecutive periods: 1992-1994 and 1994-1996.
Guita also collaborated with the country's main development agencies. From 2001 to 2003, as a member of the Academic Committee of Social Sciences (Anthropology) of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). From 2006 to 2014, as a member of the Coordination of Human and Social Sciences of the Scientific Board of the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Fapesp).
Watch the ceremony on the Imprensa Unicamp channel.
