The construction of identities at Argentine national universities. Analysis of some symbolic examples

Abstract

In the present work we address two dimensions introduced by Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) on the formation of the social: integration and regulation as key concepts and conditions in the building of university identities. This article presents three cases from Argentine universities: the National Technological University (UTN), the National University of San Luis (UNSL) and the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). We describe symbolic practices, where integration and regulation are presented. The analysis exhibits these institutions’ strengths and weaknesses, considering the fact that every social system –independently of how limited is to an organization- can work more and better if these dimensions are present and articulated. The case of the UBA is paradigmatic when it comes to describing Argentine universities, due to its history, its size, its prestige and also to its problems. The choice of the UTN for analysis is related to its peculiarity in terms of organization and studied disciplines. Finally, the UNSL was chosen because it is a medium-sized, relatively young institution and, therefore, similar and representative of other existing universities. The entire work is crossed by the question: how do the dimensions introduced by Durkheim contribute to the formation of university identities?