Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 165–185 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Higher education policy |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 2 Feb 2024 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2025 |
Abstract
For the most part, the concept of the “national university” possess significant overlaps with the public/state, civic, and flagship university. Toward enriching the conceptual toolkit of higher education, this study explores what has been meant by a 'national university' and how could we identify such an organization empirically. Through a thematic analysis of a digital corpus in English, the study identifies four substantive themes that characterize the national university as it was articulated during the formative period of the nation-state. The core themes of such a concept include functioning as a tool for state development in terms of human capital, cultural identity, and social networks; serving as a nation’s most advanced learning institution; providing meritocratic higher education without discrimination and in consideration of subnational divisions; and possessing a definite link with the central government. Comparing these findings with closely related organizational models in higher education, a key difference of the national university is in its role in articulating a national identity through providing advanced education that is particularly inclusive of subnational divisions. The paper further forwards two contrasting empirical approaches to the national university: a historical–legal de jure approach and a sociocultural de facto approach.
Keywords
- Idea of the university, Nationalism, Organizational script, State formation, Textual analysis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Education
- Social Sciences(all)
- Sociology and Political Science
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In: Higher education policy, Vol. 38, No. 1, 03.2025, p. 165–185.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Formative Ideas of the National University
T2 - A Thematic Analysis of Texts from the Long 19th Century
AU - Bengson, Nex
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2025/3
Y1 - 2025/3
N2 - For the most part, the concept of the “national university” possess significant overlaps with the public/state, civic, and flagship university. Toward enriching the conceptual toolkit of higher education, this study explores what has been meant by a 'national university' and how could we identify such an organization empirically. Through a thematic analysis of a digital corpus in English, the study identifies four substantive themes that characterize the national university as it was articulated during the formative period of the nation-state. The core themes of such a concept include functioning as a tool for state development in terms of human capital, cultural identity, and social networks; serving as a nation’s most advanced learning institution; providing meritocratic higher education without discrimination and in consideration of subnational divisions; and possessing a definite link with the central government. Comparing these findings with closely related organizational models in higher education, a key difference of the national university is in its role in articulating a national identity through providing advanced education that is particularly inclusive of subnational divisions. The paper further forwards two contrasting empirical approaches to the national university: a historical–legal de jure approach and a sociocultural de facto approach.
AB - For the most part, the concept of the “national university” possess significant overlaps with the public/state, civic, and flagship university. Toward enriching the conceptual toolkit of higher education, this study explores what has been meant by a 'national university' and how could we identify such an organization empirically. Through a thematic analysis of a digital corpus in English, the study identifies four substantive themes that characterize the national university as it was articulated during the formative period of the nation-state. The core themes of such a concept include functioning as a tool for state development in terms of human capital, cultural identity, and social networks; serving as a nation’s most advanced learning institution; providing meritocratic higher education without discrimination and in consideration of subnational divisions; and possessing a definite link with the central government. Comparing these findings with closely related organizational models in higher education, a key difference of the national university is in its role in articulating a national identity through providing advanced education that is particularly inclusive of subnational divisions. The paper further forwards two contrasting empirical approaches to the national university: a historical–legal de jure approach and a sociocultural de facto approach.
KW - Idea of the university
KW - Nationalism
KW - Organizational script
KW - State formation
KW - Textual analysis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105001087705&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1057/s41307-023-00342-z
DO - 10.1057/s41307-023-00342-z
M3 - Article
VL - 38
SP - 165
EP - 185
JO - Higher education policy
JF - Higher education policy
SN - 0952-8733
IS - 1
ER -