Short Abstract:

This panel asks how the 2000s protests of the student movement in Latin America continue or contest the legacy of past waves of student mobilization. We also ask what are the similarities and differences between Latin American student movements and the recent student protests in Western countries

Long Abstract:

Student movements have traditionally been a relevant actor in 20th century Latin American politics. Political change in the region cannot be understood without considering the active role that students played in most countries in the 1920s and 1960s, or in the struggles against military dictatorships in Nicaragua, Brazil, or Argentina. While these episodes have received significant scholarly attention, since the 1990s the interest in student movements has diminished. However, the recent student protest wave has shown that student movements still exert influence and remain a force of change. Over the last years there have been significant student protests in Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Argentina. Still, a great variation marks the causes, claims, outcomes, and repertoires of the student movements. Similarly, their sociopolitical context differs. For example, while in Chile the student movements have been mobilized against the neoliberal orientation of education policies (e.g. privatization, competition, subsidiarity), in Venezuela the field of student protest is split between supporters and opponents of President Chavez's rule. This panel welcomes contributions from the broad fields of social and political sciences. They should shed light on the recent developments of student movements, the implications of their actions, the historic significance of recent struggles and new perspectives that they might open for the region. We ask how the 2000s protests continue or contest the legacy of past waves of student mobilization in Latin America. We also ask what are the similarities and differences between Latin American student movements and recent student protests in Western countries