Control and resistance in the organization of the Chilean academic labour process. Ex- ploitation based on prestige

Abstract

In Chile, the explosive increase in university enrollment from the 1990s onwards has transformed the academic labor market, reflected on the number of higher education institutions in operation since that time, as well as the diversification of the offer regarding disciplines. Due to the foregoing, the purpose of this research is to account for the organization of the academic labour process in Chile. For this, 16 semistructured interviews with academics from the Metropolitan Region were produced and analyzed. The results indicated: (1) the presence of a specialized and hierarchical organization of work that tends to separate planning execution, (2) the “trans-institutional” character of teaching in positions of little contractual stability, (3) a control structure headed by a masculinity in a position of high hierarchy, academic prestige and job stability, (4) the publication of scientific articles and "effort morality" as disciplinary mechanisms of the workforce, and (5) in terms of resistance, malaise and individual complaint in subordinate positions that are accompanied by a weak collective organization. Cross-sectionally, it is possible to observe the accumulated academic prestige as the determining factor to obtain high-ranking positions in the organization of the academic labour process; structuring an exploitative relationship from managerial positions to subordinate positions within the academic profession.