EU Universities’ Mission Statements

Liudmila Arcimaviciene

doi:10.1177/2158244015584378

Abstract

In the last 10 years, a highly productive space of metaphor analysis has been established in the discourse studies of media, politics, business, and education. In the theoretical framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Critical Discourse Analysis, the restored metaphorical patterns are especially valued for their implied ideological value as realized both conceptually and linguistically. By using the analytical framework of Critical Metaphor Analysis and procedurally employing Pragglejaz Group’s Metaphor Identification Procedure, this study aims at analyzing the implied value of the evoked metaphors in the mission statements of the first 20 European Universities, according to the Webometrics ranking. In this article, it is proposed that Universities’ mission statements are based on the positive evaluation of the COMMERCE metaphor, which does not fully correlate with the ideological framework of sustainability education but is rather oriented toward consumerism in both education and society. Despite this overall trend, there are some traceable features of the conceptualization reflecting the sustainability approach to higher education, as related to freedom of speech, tolerance, and environmental concerns. Nonetheless, these are suppressed by the metaphoric usages evoking traditional dogmas of the conservative ideology grounded in the concepts of the transactional approach to relationship, competitiveness for superiority, the importance of self-interest and strength, and quantifiable quality.

Highlights

Metaphor analysis today is valued for its implied ideological meaning
The ideological meaning of metaphors is expected to provide answers to the questions as follows: What do the restored metaphors imply about the education standards in the 20 top European Universities? How do these standards correlate with the modern idea of “sustainability education?”
Before I examine what kind of ideology is reproduced and ascertained by metaphors in Universities’ mission statements, in the first part (“Discourse, Metaphor, Ideology”), I analyze the key concepts of discourse, metaphor, and ideology in more specific terms

Summary

Introduction

Metaphor analysis today is valued for its implied ideological meaning. Metaphorical expressions are analyzed with the purpose of reconstructing their underlying conceptual frames and restoring their moral matrix or hidden ideological value (see Charteris-Black, 2009, 2011; Goatly, 2007; Lakoff, 1996, 2004, 2006; Lakoff & Johnson, 1999; Musolff, 2010). Metaphors are seen as both tools of thought and mechanisms reflecting our worldviews. As based on these assumptions, the purpose of this study is to metaphorically analyze the mission statements of 20 top European Universities and determine their implied ideological value. The ideological meaning of metaphors is expected to provide answers to the questions as follows: What do the restored metaphors imply about the education standards in the 20 top European Universities? In the sections “What the UNIVERSITY IS A BUSINESS PERSON Metaphor Implies” and “What Is Shared by the QUANTITY and COMPETITION Metaphors in Higher Education Discourse,” I present and discuss my research findings in terms of the two prevailing metaphoric patterns (the PERSONIFICATION and COMMERCE metaphors and the QUANTITY and COMPETITION metaphors).

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion