Academic Practices and Subjectivation: A Foucauldian Analysis of Control and Resistance in Contemporary Universities

Abstract

This article revisits and extends a Foucauldian analysis of academic practices and subjectivation in contemporary universities, drawing on a case study of the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez (UACJ) from 1999 to 2012 and updating it with post-2015 developments. By examining policy documents, interviews, and short testimonials from 30 faculty members, as well as pandemic-related reforms, the study shows how performance-based metrics, global rankings, and digital surveillance have intensified managerial governance, reshaping academic subjectivities in profound ways. The analysis adopts a genealogical-archaeological approach—tracing the historical emergence of “excellence” and “modernization” discourses—while foregrounding Foucault’s ideas on power, governmentality, and practices of freedom. Although institutional imperatives frame academics as “loyal and effective” agents who adapt seamlessly to online platforms and health mandates, the intensification of these digital oversight mechanisms has led to concerns about faculty well-being and burnout, especially after the pandemic. Pockets of resistance persist, as faculty members challenge standardized metrics by experimenting with critical pedagogies, open educational resources, and collegial mobilizations, demonstrating that subjectivation is never monolithic. In Section 8, the study returns to the broader international significance of these findings, clarifying how managerial power is simultaneously consolidated and contested in a post-pandemic context. Ultimately, the article underscores that while neoliberal and crisis-driven pressures have expanded oversight beyond campus walls, Foucauldian insights reveal enduring opportunities for reinvention, ethical reflexivity, and the reimagination of higher education’s core missions.