Disruptive change: institutionalising interdisciplinarity in Chilean state universities

This article examines how interdisciplinarity is being institutionalised in Chilean state universities operating under a dual governance regime shaped by academic capitalism and commitments to public service. Drawing on document analysis and 27 interviews across five institutions, the study identifies four interrelated dimensions—organisational, cultural, epistemic and strategic leadership—through which interdisciplinarity is structured and contested. Findings show that interdisciplinarity has been incorporated through managerial instruments such as strategic plans, funding schemes and accreditation frameworks, which enable visibility and coordination but leave disciplinary hierarchies largely intact. Academic cultures and evaluation systems continue to privilege disciplinary specialisation, limiting epistemic integration and cultural transformation. Strategic leadership emerges as a mediating force that facilitates adoption but struggles to generate structural change. The Chilean case illustrates a broader paradox: interdisciplinarity becomes administratively viable through managerial governance, yet constrained by the same logics that enable it.