University teacher union and the neoliberal university counterfeit: cases of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico

Abstract

The article compares elements on the formation of the university teaching union entities of four Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico): genesis, organization and trajectory. It is structured from the testimonies of teachers participating in the union and political life of these entities, as well as the documentary analysis (primary and secondary) collected during the trips. The analysis of union and political activity prioritizes the period of implementation of neoliberal counter-reforms during the 1990s, which despite being characterized by the expansion of enrollment, courses and disciplines, resulted in a clear setback to that of university autonomy, student assistance and in the degradation of teaching and research conditions, with the consequent intensification, precariousness and greater control of teaching work. Simultaneously, the imposed neoliberal model directed the formation of labor to the market and aimed to increase the cultural and technological dependence on the developed ones.