Interview of Prof. Dr. Tomás Rodríguez Villasante
Maria Teresa: “What are your expectations of this conference?
D. Tomás Rodríguez Villasante: “I have come to learn, that is to say, I have come to see the solid developments being made here in Huelva, in certain neighbourhoods, they have told me of District V and others; also of the other international experiences, which type of concrete plans they have for working between cities and others, to learn, I am already a researcher, and can contribute that methodology to what we are doing. To see other experiences and to cross some methodologies with others to see what possibilities there are that could benefit from university knowledge, many of those methods are being used by CAENTI in neighbourhoods and countries, and the rest we are doing elsewhere.”
Maria Teresa: “What should the University contribute to the territory around it?”
D. Tomás Rodríguez Villasante: “The university should open those territories around it which are totally closed, at least here in Spain. Not least to the extent that the university is really working. We, where we are, as much in Madrid as in other places, make agreements between universities, the institutes of the universities and the public administrators to work together. It gives efficient results, effective in the neighbourhoods, communities and the councils, to those demands that are made of public administrators, like those made by councils, social movements, NGO’s and cooperatives. The university has to respond to these demands, they can’t go and say what they think, they have to go to collaborate, to learn and to develop participative methodologies precisely with those communities and groups that demand it, and if not, private companies that don’t always have the quality that they promise.
Maria Teresa: “From your point of view, what can you contribute to an association like CAENTI about the academic world?”
D. Tomás Rodríguez Villasante: “it is an excellent initiative, it has the university world, administrations, and groups of all types together in this network. I don’t know it well enough, but I will among other things understand much more, it would be fantastic because, as we have our own network and CAENTI has it’s own network that is undoubtedly more European and our network much more Latin American, there would be a convergence of both networks’ methodology and common work.
Maria Teresa: “Thank you”
D. Tomás Rodríguez Villasante: “Thank you”
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