A post-Chávez higher education conciliation?

By Elliot Storm and Grace Karram. There is no question that Hugo Chávez has left a controversial mark on the pages of social and political history. For some he was a charismatic, bold visionary committed to social justice and the eradication of inequality. But for his critics, the late president was a harbinger of democratic decline and economic decay. His influence on Venezuela’s higher education system was likewise divisive, marked by direct clashes with university administrators and student leaders. What the government intended as reforms for participatory, 'protagonist' democracy, universities took as a challenge to the traditional values of autonomy and academic freedom. In reaction to Chávez’s reforms, universities have mounted serious opposition to the regime on both procedural and substantive grounds. Read more...