Between the Eagle and the Condor: The Ford Foundation and the Modernization of the University of Chile (1965–1975)

Abstract

This chapter's goal is to demonstrate that the binary categories used to interpret relationships between philanthropic institutions and the United States government are not always coherent with subordination or autonomy, especially for some countries and situations. Chile is a case study that shows some of the complexities of this phenomenon. The chapter presents an analysis of the Ford Foundation in Chile, particularly the agreement it orchestrated between the University of Chile and the University of California between 1965 and 1975. The foundation arrived in Chile at the end of the 1950s, motivated by the radicalization of conflicts throughout Latin America. In the early 1960s, the foundation articulated with the Alliance for Progress's geopolitics in the Americas and made Chile one of its preferred countries to allocate funds.