The 1918 Córdoba Reform and University Internationalization in Latin America

Abstract

Internationalization is a trend that, in the last two decades, has been firmly established in Latin America. However, this article argues that it is part of a historical process that has been constituted within the region with characteristics of its own. For this reason, this paper aims to identify the contributions of the 1918 Cordoba Reform to the analysis of the university internationalization process in Latin America. A bibliographical and documentary research with a historical content was carried out. Its result points out that the legacy of the reform, with regard to regional integration and the concept of university autonomy, contributes to a view of internationalization rooted in the Latin American context.

Challenges for an internationalization of higher education from and for the global south

“…Piccin & Finardi, 2021), looking towards the future of IHE, requires a look towards its past (Leal, 2021). It demands a recognition that what we understand of internationalization today results from relations that were unevenly constituted throughout history (Leal, 2021;Abba & Streck, 2021).…”

“…According to Abba and Streck (2021), the Córdoba movement of 1918 is presented as a relevant historical antecedent of the IHE process in Latin America. More than a hundred years ago, the students of Córdoba rejected the exclusionary and elitist character of higher education, as well as denounced the growing distance between the university institution and society.…”