The Neoliberal Discourse in Latin American Higher Education - A Call for National Development and Tighter Government Control - Paper

Oct 15, 2026

Using critical discourse analysis, this study examines how educational leaders and policymakers in Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Argentina respond to and shape broader understandings about the role of higher education in Latin America. Drawing on Fairclough’s theory that language is socially and historically situated, it shows how discourses can produce, reproduce, and transform education policy and social structures. The findings detail tensions between globalized neoliberal discourses and national needs, highlighting implications for closing regional equity gaps amid massification.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Research approach and theoretical basis

Discourses, power, and education policy

Global vs. national tensions and policy implications

education policy analysis archives A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal Arizona State University Volume 28 Number 176 November 23 , 2020 ISSN 1068-2341 The Neoliberal Discourse in Latin American Higher Education: A Call for National Development and Tighter Government Control 1 Pilar Mendoza & Lisa Dorner University of Missouri Columbia United States Citation: Mendoza, P., & Dorner, L. (2020) . The neoliberal discourse in Latin American higher education: A call for national development and tighter government control. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 28(176). [https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.28.5610](https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.28.5610) Abstract: Using critical discourse analysis (CDA), we explored how educational leaders and policymakers in Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Argentina address complex issues while responding to – and in fact, developing – broader understandings (discourses) on the role of higher education in Latin America. Fairclough’s (1993) theory of discourse underscores that language is a social practice, socially and historically situated, and encompassing social identities, relations, and systems of knowledge and beliefs. Therefore, discourses, which are represented by all kinds of texts, exercise power because they can produce, reproduce, and transform social structures, including education policy. This study uncovers the nuances of the tensions that globalized discourses such as neoliberalism in particular face when met with national and local needs in Latin American higher education. These tensions need to be addressed in order to design policies that could effectively close the equity gap in the region amidst massification and the uncontrolled proliferation of private 1 This study uses data from a larger project sponsored by the Ford Foundation. universities in many countries, offering access to underserved students to higher education but of questionable quality. This study suggests research like this is important in order to understand how discourses that are deemed global play out at national and local levels and possibly, to uncover alternatives to the status quo. Keywords: Latin American higher education; university autonomy; neoliberalism; critical discourse analysis El discurso neoliberal en la educación superior latinoamericana: Un llamado al desarrollo nacional y a un control gubernamental más estricto Resumen: Utilizando análisis crítico del discurso (ACD), exploramos cómo líderes y formuladores de políticas en educación superior en México, Perú, Chile y Argentina abordan problemas complejos mientras responden -y de hecho, desarrollan – entendimientos amplios (discursos) sobre el papel de la educación superior en Latinoamérica. La teoría del discurso de Fairclough (1993) subraya que el lenguaje es unapráctica social, situada social e históricamente, que abarca identidades sociales, relaciones ysistemas de conocimiento y creencias. Por tanto, los discursos, que están representadospor todo tipo de textos, ejercen poder porque pueden producir, reproducir y transformarestructuras sociales, incluida la política educativa. Este estudio descubre los matices de las tensiones que los discursos globalizantes como el neoliberalismo en particular enfrentan cuando se encuentran con las necesidades nacionales y locales de la educación superior latinoamericana. Estas tensiones deben abordarse para diseñar políticas que efectivamentepuedan cerrar la brecha de equidad en la región dada la masificación y la proliferacióndescontrolada de universidades privadas en muchos países, ofreciendo acceso a laeducación superior a estudiantes marginalizados, pero de calidad cuestionable. Este estudiosugiere que una investigación como esta es importante para comprender cómo los discursos que se consideran globales se desarrollan a nivel nacional y local y, posiblemente, para descubrir alternativas al status quo. Palabras-clave: educación superior latinoamericana; au

FAQs

Which countries and roles does the study focus on?

The study focuses on educational leaders and policymakers in Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Argentina, examining how they address issues related to higher education.

What method and theory guide the analysis?

The study uses critical discourse analysis and applies Fairclough’s (1993) theory of discourse, treating language as a socially and historically situated social practice.

What tensions does the research highlight in Latin American higher education policy?

It uncovers tensions that arise when globalized discourses such as neoliberalism encounter national and local needs, especially regarding equity and the proliferation of private universities of questionable quality.

Oct 15, 2026

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