EL The paradigm of complexity, its benefits to the reform of the University of San Carlos of Guatemala

Abstract

The paper aims to promote the discussion in the process of the university reform at the University of San Carlos of Guatemala, on the benefits and features of the paradigm of complexity and its relationship to the Maya culture as two bases to contextualizing the university education. For that, the scientifictechnical revolutions and the contemporary revolution of knowledge are presented as an international context, where complexity is a substantial part. This context is also characterized by the continuing economic, political, social and global environmental crisis, which contrasts with academic problems and factors impeding institutional development at the University of San Carlos of Guatemala. The positivist paradigm of science is strong, so that, a change of paradigm is suggested: the paradigm of complexity and its relationship to culture, into the process of university reform. The methodology applied for the preparation of this essay was based on the literature review in three ways: the first, it is related to the paradigm of complexity; the second, Guatemalan researchers work addressing the academic crisis of University of San Carlos and, the third, the proposals of the Maya movement for university reform. This is compared with the experience the author has as graduate professor and researcher in the Department of Economic and Social Research at the Western University Center. To close, as a final conclusion of this article, the current institutional crisis at the University of San Carlos is shown, as well as the need to take into account the multicultural context of the Guatemalan nation in the process of university reform and the possibility of success if the people interested in the university reform could articulate its transformation into a regional and national movement, all of that to meet the challenges of contemporary knowledge revolution as expressed in the arising of the paradigm of complexity.