Higher Education, State Repression, and Neoliberal Reform in Nicaragua: Reflections from a University under Fire (Routledge Research in Higher Education)

"This innovative volume makes a key contribution to debates around the role of the university as a space of resistance by highlighting the liberatory practices undertaken to oppose dual pressures of state repression and neoliberal reform at the Universidad Centroamericana (UCA) in Nicaragua. Using a critical ethnographic approach to frame the experiences of faculty and students through vignettes, chapters present contextualized, analytical contributions from students, scholars, and university leaders to draw attention to the activism present within teaching, research, and administration while simultaneously calling attention to critical higher education and international solidarity as crucial means of maintaining academic freedom, university autonomy, oppositional knowledge production, and social outreach in higher education globally. This text will benefit researchers, students, and academics in the fields of higher education, educational policy and politics, and international and comparative education. Those interested in equality and human rights, Central America, and the themes of revolution and protest more broadly will also benefit from this volume. Wendi Bellanger is Provost and Academic Leader of the Universidad Centroamericana (UCA), Nicaragua. Serena Cosgrove is Faculty Coordinator of Seattle University's Central America Initiative and Associate Professor in International Studies at Seattle University, USA. Irina Carlota Silber is Professor of Anthropology at the City College of New York, USA"-- Provided by publisher Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Frontispiece Table of Contents Acknowledgments Foreword by Florence E. Babb About the Editors and Contributors A Timeline for University Autonomy in Nicaragua by Hallie S. Evans Introduction Welcome Why Nicaragua? Key themes and keywords Neoliberalism and how these policies affect higher education Central America, violence, and the postwar era Engaged social science research and ethnography Methods Book overview Call to action Notes Bibliography Part 1: The Repressive and Neoliberal Context of Critical Higher Education in Nicaragua Chapter 1: The Manifesto of the Universidad Centroamericana in Managua, Nicaragua Introduction How did I learn to lead a university? What are the antecedents of April 2018? What happened in April 2018? What is happening today? How has the repression affected the UCA? What can be done? Notes References Chapter 2: The Impact of Neoliberal Reform and Repression on Higher Education in Nicaragua Introduction The Struggle for University Autonomy in Nicaragua and the Devastating Effects of the Ortega-Murillo Government The Corporatization of Higher Education, Audit Culture, and the Weakening of University Autonomy Evaluation and Accreditation in Nicaragua Conclusion: The Asphyxiation of University Autonomy Notes References Part 2: Professors and Students under Fire Chapter 3: Professors and the Accompaniment of University Student Struggles in Nicaragua Introduction Holistic accompaniment and university autonomy A lost opportunity for university autonomy Holistic accompaniment vs. political indoctrination Conclusion Notes References Chapter 4: An Ethnography of the Classroom and the Daily Effects of Repression The 2018 and 2019 context in Nicaragua: state repression and university resistance Challenges and responses in the classroom The 2018 crisis opened space for new forms of teaching in Nicaragua Conclusions Notes References Chapter 5: Rhizomatic solidarity for (re)flourishing: UCA Graduate Perspectives on Education, Social Change, and Persistence Amid Repression Introduction: we are roots that have been uprooted but not burned Three years after the April 2018 uprising Free nation and life! Achievements and challenges for the UCA Teaching: “seeing the world differently” and “finding my vocation” Proyección Social: “from saying to doing” and “being part of the change” Research: a “decentralized” vision that reveals “many Nicaraguas” From islands to rhizomes Conclusion: “You will flourish, Nicaragua!” Notes References Part 3: Solidarity and Implications beyond Nicaragua Chapter 6: Cyborg solidarity with Nicaragua and digital/analogue entanglements Introduction: the problems that confront us all One year before: women defend their territory in Nicaragua The 2018 Nicaraguan uprising: activism in cyberspace The crisis continues in Nicaragua: the horror in your hand Conclusion: Cyborg solidarity in an entangled yet unequal world Notes References Chapter 7: University partnerships and solidarity 3.0 with Nicaragua Introduction Background Solidarity 1.0 and 2.0 Solidarity 1.0 Solidarity 2.0 Achievements and limitations What is solidarity and what can we learn from the past? Solidarity 3.0 Interuniversity solidarity Final thoughts Notes References Chapter 8: Lessons from Nicaragua for a Critical Higher Education Introduction Mobilizing a University Manifesto Do we only need manifestos in times of crisis? Accompaniment within and outside classroom walls Notes References Part 4: Coda Chapter 9: A Brief History of Violence in Nicaragua Introduction Colonial Period Independence State Building and U.S. Intervention from Walker to Sandino Somoza Paramilitary Rule and Student Protests Sandinismo from Insurrection to State Building Conclusion Notes References Index