A meeting to promote a Critical Transformative University

Professors from thirteen Spanish universities, as well as other agents, met on Friday 19 May in Madrid at the "Critical Transforming University" meeting organised by Justicia Alimentaria and Hegoa, with the financial support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation.

The event brought together around fifty university teachers and several experts from Latin American universities, specifically from the University of Cauca (Colombia), the University of Quilmes (Argentina) and the University of the Republic (Uruguay).

The meeting had among its main objectives: the presentation of two initiatives (a project and an agreement) with the aim of promoting a critical and transformative university; the promotion of the first steps towards a joint work strategy and; the creation of a network between professors and social agents from different universities.

In this sense, the Critical University Extension project, promoted by Hegoa, proposes to create - through the dialogue with academic and social agents - a framework that critically orients the function of the university extension. For its part, the Critical and Transformative University agreement between Justicia Alimentaria and Hegoa aims to strengthen the work of educational communities by incorporating the right to food as the backbone of a university committed to fight against the climate crisis.

The work developed during the day allowed us to think collectively about the necessary strategies to strengthen our universities in their role as strategic agents for the promotion of an  eco-social transition, from a critical perspective and with the commitment to the territory  where the Universities are located.   

In addition, we were able to count on the presentation of papers from the three Latin American universities participating in the meeting. The presentations delved into the current meaning of critical university and shared learnings related to university extension and ecosocial transformation.

Este documento (solo en castellano) recoge un breve resumen de las iniciativas; sus ejes estratégicos y las principales acciones planteadas para el período 2023-2026.