Between migration and resistance in crisis contexts

Abstract

Since the arrival of the Bolivarian Revolution, the Venezuelan educational sector’s situation, especially higher education, has not been easy. The policies in higher education of the revolution led to a stagnation of the most recognized universities. Not to mention the growth of student dropouts and the teachers’ position at the university level, which continues to be one of the most precarious in terms of income and working conditions. Against this background, the teaching staff at all levels of training faces one of these three paths: resist from the classroom, with the risks that this implies, resign from their jobs due to the impossibility of being able to attend their jobs, or migrate with the hope of continuing to perform in this profession and contribute to the rescue of democracy from exile, which is difficult given the many obstacles. In this sense, this article aims to reflect on Venezuelan intellectual migration and its causes to foster future research on the interpretative frameworks that present a distinction between skilled and unskilled migration. At the same time, the unions’ situation in Venezuela demands a reinterpretation of the concepts as they are in a gray area far from international protection in a differentiated way.