Formative Ideas of the National University

A Thematic Analysis of Texts from the Long 19th Century

authored by: Nex Bengson
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.
Organisation(s): Leibniz Research Centre Science and Society (LCSS)
External Organisation(s): University of Oxford
Type: Article
Journal: Higher education policy
Volume: 38
Pages: 165–185
No. of pages: 21
ISSN: 0952-8733
Publication date: 03.2025
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Education, Sociology and Political Science
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-023-00342-z (Access: Open)

BibTeX

@article{b8e1abf8ce274909a0974beb44c5ae61,
title = "Formative Ideas of the National University: A Thematic Analysis of Texts from the Long 19th Century",
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{\textquoteright}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",
author = "Nex Bengson",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024, The Author(s).",
year = "2025",
month = mar,
doi = "10.1057/s41307-023-00342-z",
language = "English",
volume = "38",
pages = "165–185",
journal = "Higher education policy",
issn = "0952-8733",
publisher = "Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.",
}