Creation, Nationalization and Demerger = Reorganization? An Introduction to the Transformation Process of the Argentinian Higher Education System (1971-1973)

Abstract

During the dictatorial regime that governed Argentina between 1966 and 1973, the country experien- ced a process of creation of new national universities that transformed noticeably the higher education system. In this article the authors propose to make a step forward in the analysis of the characteristicsthat were drawn up for the new planned institutions in order to find out the continuities and ruptures between the profiles of the institutions that were designed and the actual results of the reform that wasimplemented. Doing so they intend to show how in spite of the quantitative expansion of the higher edu- cation system in Argentina, there was not a real qualitative reorganization. On the contrary, the new universities reproduced the structure of the traditional institutions. For the analysis the authors workedwith primary and secondary sources. Amongst the former we can refer to national newspapers and offi- cial documentation about university life, such as the development plans, sustainability plans, laws and university statistics.