Academic Fragilities in a Marketised Age

The Case of Chile

Bibliographic Data

ID8407635
AuthorsCarolina Guzmán-Valenzuela (0000-0002-7974-762X, University of Valparaíso, corresponding author), R Barnett (0000-0002-6850-7639, University of London)
Year2013
Volume61
Issue2
Pages203-220
Publication date2013-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Educational Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-1005 • E-ISSN: 1467-8527
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00071005.2013.776006
OpenAlexW1975313569
LanguageEN
Citations received19
References cited22

Academics are confronted with multiple and conflicting narratives as to what it is to be an academic. Their identities, however, are not entirely of their own making. Through a qualitative study, and deploying a social realist perspective, this paper analyses academic identities in Chile and attempts to locate the patterns of identity in the context of a marketised higher education system. The data were collected in both a state and a private university. The results suggest that distinct kinds of fragilities may be emerging among Chilean academics (ontological and contractual fragilities). These two fragilities can be traced to the attendant structures of the university system at an institutional level (reputational fragility in the public sector and a branding fragility in the private sector). The paper concludes by observing that, although the power of the structures is considerable, there are still spaces for agentic responses

Art · Humanities · Political science · Critical Realism in Sociology · Global Educational Policies and Reforms · Higher Education Governance and Development