Power, ideology and knowledge: Epistemological apertures of the concept of university in Chile

Abstract

The following research report investigated, from a qualitative approach, the identification of several forms of legitimation of power, ideology, and institutionalization of knowledge in Chilean higher education through the methodology of Critical Discourse Analysis developed by Teun van Dijk. This methodological resource was applied to the diverse Mission-Vision prospects of 24 universities in Chile, divided into state, private, and private with state contribution. Using a theoretical construct based on complexity, transdiscipline, ideology, and power, encoded results were obtained in 3 general categories (power, ideology and knowledge) through the computer support Atlas.ti version 5.0. Subsequently, a network model was developed, allowing the observation, at both general and specific levels, of the density of associations between codes, attending to their diverse contexts of production. The main results indicate that a strong presence of ideology is manifested through these prospects through discursive elements that demonstrate the exercise of power through institutional and social mechanisms.