A Vision for Luso-Brazilian Studies at Sacramento State

Daniel Clark Orey – Project Director

Sacramento, as the Capital city of the sixth largest economy in the world, plays an important role internationally.   Our campus has come to occupy an important position in the area of international affairs.  It is the vision of the Luso-Brazilian Center (CELB) to become a dynamic force on this campus, in the CSU system and with Latin American Studies programs nationally.  The Center hopes to attract funding that benefits our students, faculty and our community at large. 

Why is CELB a good idea for Sacramento State?

Northern California, including both the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, has had a long history with Portuguese (Luso) speaking peoples.  Early mining activity as far north as Yreka was done by Portuguese speaking peoples; with much of the early agricultural activity in the region established by immigrants from both the Azores and Portugal.  The city of Curitiba, in southern Brasil, was active in assisting Sacramentans in developing our urban growth and transportation plan.  Recent reports suggest that Brazil will be the world’s 4^th largest economy by 2050, and as we speak, is beginning to exert considerable influence worldwide.  Over the past decade or so, numerous Sacramento State faculty have been involved in documenting this change and have been involved with numerous cultural exchanges with Brazil and other Portuguese speaking countries.  As Brazil as becomes an important player in world affairs, the state of California and the faculty at this university have participated in a number of these agreements -  academics, education and technology to name a few.  Brazil and California have announced agreements involving exchanges of higher technology and alternative fuel vehicles. 

A recent year abroad as a visiting researcher[1] enabled this writer to see first hand the tremendous potential for cultural and technical interchange between Portugal, Brazil, Moçambique and California.  Institutions of higher education in Brasil are implementing long distance education, are expanding and constructing new university campuses; building new computer programs, labs and access points, all of which offer opportunities for service and research by parties in both countries.  A FIPSE proposal by the University of Georgia is visibly and actively involved in bringing students and faculty together to work in the area of technology, engineering, and computer sciences.  Sacramento State is fully capable of participating in such groundbreaking work. 

This writer’s vision for CELB is along the following.  In three to four years the center will have grown to be a dynamic force on this campus, and will be known for its encouragement and collaborations with other centers, departments, colleges and programs.  Each semester we will have scholars and students studying here; with faculty and students doing the same in Brazil, Portugal, and Moçambique.  CELB will have established itself as an important player in the world of Latin American studies, and will have built upon the relationships at UFOP, UEM, UNESC, PUCSP, and UFRJ.  As well, ongoing consultations with the future Universidade Novo de Moçambique will have begun a long-term relationship that allows scholars and students to pass thru and interact with the institutions in a growing and dynamic consortium.  Because this university had the vision to encourage Luso-Brazilian studies, CELB will be able to be a sponsor the first North American meeting of the Sociedade Internacional para Estudos da Criança (International Society for the Study of Children) and will be a co-sponsor of the World Educational Forum.  Our third journal will have been produced, highlighting research being undertaken that sustains relations between the United States and Portuguese Speaking Countries, and of course bringing positive attention to Sacramento State and to Sacramento.  Our annual Luso-Brazilian film festival will have been concluded – possibly with name artists and singers from abroad locally mixing and sharing culture of both California and Brazil.  Enrollment in Portuguese classes at Sacramento State will have grown rapidly.  And the local NPR affiliate will be known once again for its Brazilian jazz / music hour, this time co-sponsored by CELB.  CELB will sponsor numerous talks, workshops and visiting speakers.  Funding will have been gained that allows it to run almost autonomously from Sacramento State, and relationships with the Latin American Centers at the University of California in Berkeley and at Los Angeles will have brought name, recognition and talent to this campus.