La universidad reflexiva en tiempos de crisis

Paradoxically, the self-reference of research i+n higher education and in universities in particular has only recently been recognized, albeit from a critical perspective that only questions the motives of academics. Although relevant as a political-ideological critique, such analyses remain at the level of personal attribution, without questioning the social conditions of possibility of the statements. In this essay we suggest that the notions emerging today in the post-pandemic scenario should be considered as a new expression of three referents that, with different approaches, are presented in normative discussions about the university: equity, comprehensiveness and relevance. As a result, the idea of the contemporary university is that of an inherently modern university, which still follows the Enlightenment mandate to dare to think, but extends it to the questioning of its own foundations, finding in continuous self-criticism its controversial (and impossible) mission: always more equitable, more integral and more pertinent.