Quantification as Institutional Narrative and Affective Device: Reframing University Community Engagement in Chilean Higher Education Policy

This article examines how quantification operates as both an institutional narrative and an affective device in Chilean higher education, focusing on the redefinition of university community engagement. Drawing on organizational theory and the sociology of quantification, it argues that metrics not only document engagement but actively construct institutional narratives of legitimacy, coherence, and social value. Based on a qualitative multiple-case study of Chilean universities, including documentary analysis and 46 semi-structured interviews, the study shows that performance indicators function as narrative infrastructures that align engagement with strategic and accreditation frameworks. However, these quantified narratives also generate emotional attachments (recognition, belonging, and professional validation) that sustain compliance while masking epistemic exclusions. The findings reveal a paradox: emotional investments make audit cultures workable even as quantification displaces other forms of community engagement.