Critical discourse analysis: The higher education reform in Chile in written media

Abstract

This article presents a qualitative research that accounts for the critical discourse analysis (cda) of the actors involved in the current debate about the proposal for higher education reform (res) that takes place in Chile, and that is expressed through the written media. The social position of the actors in the social structure or the influence they exert on the problem discussed is revealed. In addition, the underlying ideological discourse in the content issued by the media is identified. The main results account for the explicit criticism of the res process as insufficient, for the distancing of the institutions with regard to the social reality or for the intensification of the privatization processes. Likewise, we observe the reiteration of some structures that give a critical account of the underlying elements in the reform process, such as the criminalization of the student movement, the identification of the educational system as a consumer good and the strengthening of the private sector, among others.