Change ofhabitus: The young people and the free public university in Northeast of Brazil

This paper explores the results of the research A interiorização recente das Instituições públicas e gratuitas de ensino superior no Nordeste: efeitos e mudanças [The recent implementation of new federal universities in the Northeast of Brazil: effects and changes], performed by the Joaquim Nabuco Foundation. 1 One of its main mottos is the emphasis on the official speech, which defends that the implementation of Federal University campuses in the countryside of Brazil generates opportunities for young people at the lowest levels of the income pyramid to attend higher education. In this research, we have investigated the relations between the life stories and the aspirations of the students and, here, we analyse the reality of the educational system on the countryside, where in some cities, the possibility of a young person to attend university is rated below 5%. We have identified their expectations on professional choices and their future in the labour market, the way they feel about the implementation of the campuses and the changes in their life projects according to the possibility of achieving a better place in society due to the chance of attending free public university. The theoretical–methodological line used in this research will be explained throughout this paper.