Decolonising the Latin American universities

Latin America has experienced a long story of colonialism. In the sixteenth century, the lands were colonised by Portugal and Spain. Afterwards, the souls, the bodies and the minds were domesticated by the Catholic church and European ways of conceiving the world. By the time that Latin American former colonies gained their independence (between the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries) the mestizos (a mix between European and indigenous ancestries) have become the largest population across the region.

The Latin American region has been subject to the economic, political and cultural power of countries in the Global North (and especially the USA), and higher education is no exception. Latin American universities depend on science and technology produced in countries in the North as well as on research aid, investment, and doctoral formation. Also, Latin American universities have become overly dependent on a global model of university that heavily relies on prestige and academic productivity.

In this context, questions about whether it is possible to decolonise Latin American universities emerge. In this seminar, issues about internationalisation, global rankings and the decolonisation of universities in the global South, with a specific focus on Latin America will be addressed:

Dr Alma Maldonado will present: ‘Decolonializing the colonial university model: an impossible mission?’

Professor Dr Carolina Guzman-Valenzuela will present ‘Decoloniality of power and universities in Latin America’

And Dr Gunther Diez will present ‘The Decolonial Potential of Intercultural Higher Education in Mexico’

This webinar is part of the free public seminar programme hosted by the Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE).