<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>In this article, I investigate the discursive field of the digital transformation of higher education and research policy in Switzerland. The qualitative analysis of political strategies and documents shows that actors in this policy field use open, ambiguous terms to characterise digitalisation. By building on this discursive strategy, the political actors aim not only to reduce uncertainty about the digital transformation as a complex phenomenon but also to build political consensus about the future development of this discursive field.</p>
</abstract>

In this article, I investigate the discursive field of the digital transformation of higher education and research policy in Switzerland. The qualitative analysis of political strategies and documents shows that actors in this policy field use open, ambiguous terms to characterise digitalisation. By building on this discursive strategy, the political actors aim not only to reduce uncertainty about the digital transformation as a complex phenomenon but also to build political consensus about the future development of this discursive field.

A Tamed Transformation. Debating Digitalisation in Research and Higher Education Policy in Switzerland, 1998–2020

University of Lucerne, CH-6002 Lucerne; Center for Higher Education and Science Studies, University of Zurich

Swiss Journal of Sociology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

In this article, I investigate the discursive field of the digital transformation of higher education and research policy in Switzerland. The qualitative...

A Tamed Transformation. Debating Digitalisation in Research and Higher Education Policy in Switzerland, 1998–2020

Published Online: Oct 31, 2023

Page range: 473 - 498

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjs-2023-0023

Keywords
Digital transformation, research and higher education policy, discursive field, ambiguity, polyphony

© 2023 Philippe Saner, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

A Tamed Transformation. Debating Digitalisation in Research and Higher Education Policy in Switzerland, 1998–2020

Published Online: Oct 31, 2023

Page range: 473 - 498

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjs-2023-0023

KeywordsDigital transformation, research and higher education policy, discursive field, ambiguity, polyphony

© 2023 Philippe Saner, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Digital transformation, research and higher education policy, discursive field, ambiguity, polyphony