"One gives oneself, not to the books or to the editorial office, but to one's readers, to one's advisor, to the community, because the university is a community of people who help each other to grow, to find the truths and deliver them to society so that it can grow. For this reason, I believe that university work is based on humility, solidarity, dedication, and help. What unites all of that is one word: friendship."
ZAPOPAN, Jalisco; September 12, 2023. Universidad Panamericana Guadalajara Campus is pleased to announce that Dr. Gustavo Gómez Domínguez has recently obtained his doctorate, an achievement that further reinforces his commitment to academic excellence and his role as a professor at this prestigious institution.
Exploration of federalism
The doctoral research research focused on the exploration of the foundations of federalism and the identification of essential principles and values related to this form of government. His motivation to address this topic is based on the need to understand whether Mexico has the cultural and political foundations necessary to be a federalist country.
Federalism is often considered simply as a form of government or a legal structure. However, Dr. Gustavo Gómez argues that federalism goes beyond these notions and is the natural result of a worldview rooted in a specific culture. This means that not all countries can adopt federalism effectively; it needs to be based on a set of shared cultural principles.
Objective of the research
The objective of the research was to find the fundamental principles and values underlying federalism, especially in the cradle of this form of government, Germany, and in the United States. Its central motivation lies in determining whether Mexico possesses the necessary nature to be a federalist country, a considerable question for the understanding of the country's political structure.
Main challenges
One of the main challenges faced by the newly awarded PhD was to identify that law is a means and not an end in itself, which required a deep understanding of how culture and history influence the application and perception of federalism in different societies. In addition, balancing his responsibilities as a professor and his research was a major challenge, but also an opportunity to enrich his research through interactions with his students.
"Somehow or other one bounces the thesis when you teach, and there in your students there is a huge heritage of culture and experiences. We cannot end up discarding the student's vision, just because he/she is in the undergraduate program. Moreover, the student brings to a researcher who is a teacher a vision that perhaps one did not have. And it is not necessary to have an academic degree to have a clear vision of something, and that is the enormous heritage that students can give us."
Results and learning
Regarding the results of his thesis, for Dr. Gustavo Gómez "discovering the cultural elements that support federalism in countries such as Germany and the United States was particularly exciting". This reinforced the idea that legal institutions reflect the culture and life of a population, which has important implications for the importation of legal systems in different contexts.
Finally, he highlights humility and solidarity as fundamental values that he has learned during his doctorate and that he shares with his students. He also announced future plans to continue his research, applying his findings to the Mexican context to determine whether the country possesses the principles and values necessary to be federalist.
"The doctorate is a collaborative work. It is not a solo work, it is a work of dedication and union."
The Universidad Panamericana Campus Guadalajara congratulates Dr. Gustavo Gómez on his outstanding academic achievement and looks forward to how his experience as a doctor will further enrich the learning environment on campus and contribute to the development of future leaders and scholars in Mexico. His commitment to research and education is an inspiring example for the university community.
