DOUTORES OU AINDA MENOS

Manuel António Pina
JN, 2008-12-24

A propósito do generalizado tratamento de “doutor” em Coimbra, contava-se a história de um barbeiro que, enquanto escanhoava o cliente, metia conversa com ele: “O sr. dr. não é o engraxador que pára lá em baixo na Portagem?” Entretanto todo o país se “coimbrizou” (e o que não se “coimbrizou” está a “bolonhizar-se”) e a piada perdeu-se.

Hoje, no supermercado, devemos dirigir-nos à menina da caixa dizendo: “Pago com Multibanco, sra. dra.”, e à empregada doméstica: “Dra. Irene, sirva o leite-creme”, do mesmo modo que não podemos esquecer-nos de que o lavador de carros pode ser engenheiro pela Moderna ou pela Internacional: “Lavagem completa, sr. engenheiro”. A revista “Sábado” conta a história de um atleta de “taekwendo” que, sem nunca ter feito o ensino secundário, em poucos meses conseguiu, como tantos outros, um diploma “simplex” do 12.º ano nas “Novas oportunidades” e já está a caminho da Faculdade de Medicina. Um dia destes, juntamente com um anestesista também “simplex”, estará a operar o leitor num hospital público, os dois cheios de curiosidade sobre o que haverá dentro de uma barriga.

FIELDNOTES

Some fieldnotes taken right after attending an international scientific congress in September 2008:

Participants are precious and must be as many as possible. They pay well and need to attend congresses in order to make a living. Scientific congresses are good business. Cities welcome them.

At the sessions, they present papers one after another. It doesn’t matter if, in order to anticipate “last remarks”, a participant must skip some in-between steps. The audience applauses every presentation. It is polite. Debate should be brief, another presentation is waiting.

Language skills are not absolutely required. Translation is dispensable. Communication is not a fundamental thing.

Slideshow presentations are almost plenary. Presentations tend to be schematic and fragmentary. Slideshows create illusory sense of unity.

These are occasions for the researchers to meet. A scientific debate would risk unwanted disagreements. Organisers offer many opportunities for them to meet each other. They have lunch together. A formal dinner is also offered. In their spare time, they can visit the city together in planned excursions.

Participants conspire in order to get research subsidies. They exchange “business cards” during casual meetings. Some international networks are born spontaneously. Strangers become potential partners in a couple of minutes. It is important to have different nationalities and disciplines represented in networks. Identification cards (name, institution and country) are very helpful. Participants exchange previous experiences as applicants to research funding.