Ambivalent Liberalism: Socialist Students and University Autonomy in Venezuela

David Smilde, Tulane University
Hugo Perez Hernaiz, Universidad Central de Venezuela

Socialist projects in Latin America have a complex relationship with university autonomy. On the one hand, liberalism is generally thought of as anathema to socialist projects that seek the integration of state and society. On the other hand, over the past 150 years, university autonomy has been at the center of struggles for democracy and has been the preeminent space for leftist and Marxist organizing. Our study of socialist students shows that while, indeed, their views of capitalism are quite clear and consistent, there is considerable ambivalence regarding university autonomy. On the one hand, very few socialist students outright reject autonomy. Most of them suggest that university autonomy is a good goal but has been a fiction and that Venezuela’s autonomous universities basically serve to educate privileged young people and serve the needs of capital. Furthermore, they are not spaces of open debate but rather marginalize and repress leftist ideas. On the other hand, most respondents do not simply embrace unconstructed liberalism either. They tend to believe in open spaces of research, teaching and debate as long as they are “constructive” and well-intentioned, and preferably in line with the societal and national goals. These responses indeed show socialism more as a rejection of the inequality and obstacles they have faced than a wholesale rejection of liberalism.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 159. Institutions and Morality