"We Became Concerned With Attitudes of the Visitors": One Nicaraguan Village Response to International Studies

• In Event: 15.061 - MTCC Roundtable Session Two
  In Roundtable Session: 15.061-9 - International Students Experiences in Education

Abstract

This paper explores the story of one village in rural Nicaragua, which had been engaged in trans-national educational programs with students from the North for a number of years since the 1990s. After 15 years villagers terminated relationships with such programs. Based on multiple interviews and focus groups the paper begins with an examination of the historical/social/political context of the region.
We then detail the village’s original motivations for engaging in educational programs, their experiences with them, and the complex reasoning leading them to end their involvement. Integral to these findings are possible insights for a better balance of social relations in undertaking North-South educational programs.

Authors

• Michael O'Sullivan, Brock University

• Harry Smaller, York University