Quando a extensão universitária escuta: teatro e ação dialógica

Theater and Dialogical Action

Abstract

This article offers a critical reflection on the meanings of university extension in the contemporary context, through a dramaturgical analysis of O extensionista, a play by Mexican playwright Felipe Santander. Drawing on Paulo Freire’s essay Extension or Communication?, the article discusses the shift from an antidialogical practice—marked by the technocratic imposition of knowledge—to a dialogical action grounded in listening, collaboration, and the appreciation of popular knowledge. The journey of Cruz Lopes, a recently graduated agronomist who undergoes an ethical transformation upon engaging with peasant realities, is interpreted as a metaphor for the challenges of integrating extension into the undergraduate curriculum. In this study, theater is employed as a critical lens to expose the tensions inherent in the university–society relationship. The findings highlight the urgency of a more sensitive, critical, and committed approach to extension—one that affirms the autonomy of communities and supports the democratic construction of knowledge.