Sociologia e ensino superior: encontro ou desencontro?

this article explores particular frameworks which have characterized the relation between sociology and the analysis of education systems in the modernity, with emphasis on the higher education system. it points out that the issue of education has taken a noticeable position in the work of some classical authors in the field of sociology when analyzing the constitution of modernity. it also emphasizes that the education system, in particular the higher education system, has held a strategic position in contemporary societies due to the complex relation it has with the economic, political and cultural spheres in distinct societal contexts. the text highlights the tendency of contemporary sociology to approach the education system as one of its sub-fields. in addition, it shows that the tendency of looking into the higher education system from different disciplinary perspectives has led the analysis conducted on this sub-field to have a weaker connection with matters related to the process of modernity in its contemporary stage. the paper emphasizes that one of sociology's main challenges is to bring the analysis on the education systems back to its research agenda and keep the macro-analytical perspective drawn up by certain classical authors.