Changing knowledge regimes: Universities in a new research environment

Abstract

This paper takes an apparent knowledgeparadox as its point of departure. `Knowledge'has acquired a more all encompassing meaningtoday, yet this has not strengthened thesupport for and confidence in higher educationinstitutions. On the contrary, it is oftenclaimed that they have outlived theirusefulness. In trying to understand thedevelopment behind this paradox, we deal withthree issues. We discuss first thewidening concept of knowledge and the claimthat there is emerging a new mode of knowledgeproduction. Secondly the widening concept ofknowledge is put into a social and politicalcontext, where massification and its socialimplications are discussed. Thirdly we developa theoretical framework based on the concept ofknowledge regimes. In this part wediscuss how the concept of knowledge regimesand the related concepts of knowledgeinterests and knowledge alliances may behelpful in understanding the complexities andambiguity of higher education development.Finally we discuss some implications regardingknowledge's role in social development. Wequestion the assumption that there is anecessary relationship between a wideningconcept of knowledge and a given form ofknowledge development.