Keys to thinking about the current crisis of the University Autonomous of Nayarit

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the emergence and history of the Autonomous University of Nayarit in order to situate the crisis that the institution has been openly going through since 2014. That year, the inability of the rector's administration to cover the payments of salaries and end-of-year benefits became evident a situation that has been repeated, in an increasingly critical way, until 2023. We propose that, in order to understand the causes, nature, depth and consequences of the current crisis of the UAN, we need to go back in time by bringing into play the relationship of the university with its economic, political and socio-cultural environment. We argue that understanding the historical context in which the University of Nayarit emerged and the purposes for which it was created, it will allow us to understand the course of its history and to situate in it the critical period it is currently experiencing. In this work, we use a historical-political perspective in which structural aspects of the international, national and national environment are articulated, with the dimension of culture and political subjectivity in the university community of the UAN. To guide us, we turn to theoretical elements proposed by Collins, Santos, Modonesi and Giraldo. We resorted to a review of historical bibliography and official documents. We make use of an intense participant observation developed during the experience of those who write as university professors attached to the UAN, as well as episodes of political participation within it, of which we were part.