Organizational institutionalism in the academic field in Brazil: social dynamics and networks

Abstract

This article is based on the assumption that the construction of scientific knowledge is a social process characterized by the recursive dynamic between the social and intellectual dimensions. In light of this statement, we investigated how the construction of the institutional perspective is delineated in the context of organizational studies in Brazil from 1993 to 2007. The study is based on documentary research of articles published in scientific journals and at academic events. For this purpose, we analyzed social networks and used bibliometric indicators in order to map the cooperation relationships between researchers and intellectual framework, based on the cited authors. The results show the influence of social relationships in the process of constructing scientific knowledge. The findings reveal that the expansion of the field is based on the growing elaboration of a social organization with close links to the activities of continuant and transient researchers. These circumstances denote the stratification both of production and the relationships between authors, since continuant and transient researchers are responsible for the intermediation of relations and the consolidation of production in the academic field that is being analyzed. The findings also reveal a secondary dynamic of the activities of researchers located on the margin of the network and the presence of Brazilian researchers among the most cited authors, an indication of a legitimized local intellectual base.

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