Student politics in developing countries

Title

Creator

Altbach, Philip G.

Language

English

Year

1968

Subject

Students.

Students -- Political participation.

Student activism.

Political development.

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

The good and the evil of students’ revolt and radical action.

Fulltext

■ The good and the evil of students’ revolt and radical action STUDENT POLITICS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES There is no doubt that students have played a major role as agents of social change in many developing nations. Recent events in South Vietnam, where the students have been a key factor in anti-government demonstrations, in Indonesia, where it seems that students pressured the military to as sume power from President Sukarno, in Ecuador, where students precipitated a mili tary coup, and in other areas have shown the importance of students in political dev elopments. There has hardly been a political upheaval in these nations in which stu dents have not taken an active and often crucial part. What are the conditions which permit students to play so active a political role? In the developing areas, uni versity and sometimes even secondary school students are among the few “modern” and politically conscious ele ments in their societies. As such, they are indispensable elements which any govern ment must consider, and whose confidence must in the last analysis be gained if the nation is to achieve the goals of economic develop ment plans and obtain the accoutrements of modernity. University students are, in a real sense, a “presumptive elite.” Their education pre pares them to take a vital role in a modernizing society, and both they and the au thorities realize their crucial position. Often students constitute an important ele ment of “public opinion,” since the articulate part of the general population is often quite small, with lite racy limited to a relative handful. Students in many nations are among the easier groups in the society to organize for any purpose. The student population is often relatively July 1968 21 small and homogeneous Class and ethnic backgrounds tend to be rather similar, al though trends toward broad ening the base of higher edu cation are evident in many areas. Furthermore, the stu dent population is usually highly concentrated. In ma ny nations, one major uni versity centre may contain up to half of the student po pulation. An organizational nexus often exists, usually centred around a strong na tional union of students. These factors enable student leaders to mobilize demons trations quickly and efficient ly. Complicated newspapers and radio stations are unne cessary; all that is needed is a mimeograph machine, and a few posters strategically placed, to mobilize massive student demonstrations. In addition to a tradition of political participation and an effective organizational base, students often have a strong ideological commit ment. Usually expressed in leftist terms with strong na tionalist overtones, this ideo logical basis permits student movements to function, al though at a reduced level of activity, during periods of political quiescence. This fact insures some degree of organizational continuity — student movements do not have to start anew at every crisis. Furthermore, the stu dents are often considered among the “purest” elements of the society. Unencumber ed by outside responsibilities to family, party, etc. — and in a sense alienated from traditional social patterns — students are uniquely able to speak for other emergent modern elements in the so ciety such as the organized working class or peasant movements. As a result, the student organizations often speak for no more than a few thousand students in the university, but give voice to the demands of an increas ingly important segment of the society. Even in the developing nations, students have been unable to retain political initiative once they have act ed as a catalyst for political change. Almost invariably, students act as an instru mental element in social struggles which are taken over by some other element, often the military. Indeed, this rather unexpected tacit 22 Panorama cooperation between radical student movements and the military in a growing num ber of developing nations may be highly significant for future political developments. The fact remains, however, that even where students have unquestioned political impact, they can do little more than precipitate changes which others must implement. Japan offers a particularly interesting example of stu dent political involvement. In a nation which has enter ed the industrial age with a vengeance, but still retains many aspects of its tradi tional past, the student move ment has indicated some thing of the ambivalence which exists in the society. Considered ideologically and morally uncorrupted by ma ny, the students have tried to speak for the working class and other “voiceless” elements in the society, sometimes with notable suc cess. Yet, because of its alienation from many tradi tional aspects of the culture, the students have been un able to build ongoing sup port from other elements in the society; and when speci fic agitational campaigns ended, they found them selves virtually alone. Japan offers an interesting contrast to the Western industrialized nations, since students in Japan still retain some of their traditional importance, at least in the high prestige universities, and have a cru cial political role as a “link” between still inarticulate masses and the mainstream of political life. In the United States, and in most of Europe, students do not constitute a crucial element in the political equa tion. In technological socie ties, the fate of a group of students, or even an entire student generation, is not of vital important. Individual students, while potential members of the elite, are not necessarily destined for elite status. In America, and for that matter in most nations with a growing system of higher education open to larger numbers of students, the political activities of indi vidual groups of students will have less overall signifi cance, and it will be more difficult to successfully or ganize mass student demons trations. In general, strongly July 1968 23 career oriented students are not often attracted to student politics, and this segment of the student population is in creasing numerically, parti cularly as greater stress is placed on the natural sciences. Students in the developing countries have both a unique responsibility and a unique power. They, perhaps more than any other element in their societies, have the social vision and the modern edu cation to see beyond present, often difficult, reality. This ideological sophistication and political consciousness has led students to take an active political role in their socie ties. In a very real sense, stu dents are responsible for the futures of their countries, for they constitute an incipient elite. The ambivalence be tween political activism and competent professionalism is felt in many of the develop ing countries. Politically res ponsible and ideologically sophisticated student move ments can constitute a va luable addition to the mo dernization process. Govern ments have too often looked upon students as a threat rather than an ally in social and political progress. With able student leadership and support from government and educational officials, student movements can make a real contribution. — By Philip G. Altbach in the Dia logue, Vol. I, No. 1. MUSIC BEFORE RELIGION Music comes before religion, as emotion comes before thought, and sound before sense. What is the first thing you hear when you go into a church? The organ playing. — Alfred North Whitehead. 24 Panorama

pages

21-24

Media