Abstract

AYALA ARAGON, Oscar Ranulfo. Political Crisis and Delegitimization of the Bolivian University Reform: From the Utopia of its Principles to the Dystopia of its Purposes. Rev. mex. cienc. polít. soc [online]. 2023, vol.68, n.248, pp.61-83.  Epub Aug 20, 2024. ISSN 0185-1918.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fcpys.2448492xe.2023.248.79039.

This article critically reviews the process that triggered the political crisis and the delegitimization of the Bolivian university reform through the main historical events in the country up to the overthrow of the government of Evo Morales at the end of 2019, focusing on the role assumed by the university system in this political crisis. Throughout the text, the critical moments that lead to a questioning of the reformist attempts are exposed, mainly due to institutional weakening and disconnection with the revolutionary ideology of social commitment and the liberation of the peoples. These factors, added to the institutional conflicts due to internal power struggles, the distortion of co-government into a sort of misgovernment, and the irregular practices derived from a misused autonomy, have led to a profound institutional crisis. We argue that the reformist utopian ideal has become a delegitimized dystopia.

Keywords : university reform; autonomy; co-government; corruption; political crisis; Bolivia.