INTERNATIONALIZATION OF EDUCATION AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A REGIONAL IDENTITY IN LATIN AMERICA

Abstract

The internationalization of higher education in Latin America is a complex issue with historical and structural challenges. The process is part of the context of current political, social and economic integration. Likewise, it is vulnerable to the current process of commodification of education, a neoliberal trend that contradicts the vision of internationalization based on solidarity, which aims to strengthen the region's academic and scientific identity. The main objectives of internationalization include strengthening the technological and scientific autonomy of Latin American countries, developing local potential and promoting cooperation networks. However, there are important challenges to be overcome, such as technological dependence on major powers and the consequent exodus of academics to these centers in search of better conditions for developing their research and intellectual and financial recognition. Internationalization presents itself as a space for ideological dispute and resistance against the privatization of higher education, politically mobilizing the academic community to build a regional identity, with the aim of valuing cultural values and promoting local development and improvement. The aim of the article is to discuss the construction of this Latin American cultural identity, through the process of internationalization of education.