The Brazilian Comparative Education Society (SBEC)

In Brazil, as elsewhere, the field of comparative education is gaining relevance as an academic area in the globalised world because of the interdependence between nations and the similarity of educational challenges faced by many countries. Technological advances have facilitated access to information about education systems in different regions and countries. One limitation for Brazilians is the lack of knowledge of English and other foreign languages, but increasing numbers in the young generation are well prepared for communication in foreign languages.

The Brazilian Comparative Education Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Educação Comparada - SBEC) was founded in 1983 by a group of professors of education, and is relatively young in the Brazilian educational context. The more traditional societies, such as the National Association of Policy and Educational Administration (Associação Nacional de Política e Administração da Educação - ANPAE), are over 40 years old. The SBEC seems to be reaching adulthood if we compare it with the ages of humans; but in several respects the society is still in its adolescence, trying to find a role and identity in the social environment.

The main objective of the SBEC is the promotion of comparative studies through the teaching of comparative education and the networking of researchers. The society had 121 members in 2005, and one objective of its leadership was to increase both the membership and the visibility of the SBEC. Most members have some form of international background and/or have studied abroad. Most speak at least one foreign language, usually English, and most are related to the academic world. Meetings and seminars are the society’s main activities, and some people become members during those events. The society has long published a bulletin three times a year, and has planned a digital journal.