ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM AND THE NEW CONFLICT OF THE FACULTIES AT FRENCH UNIVERSITIES

According to political and journalistic common sense, French universities are ill adapted to the new economic and social situation at home and abroad, and incapable of reform. We intend to counter this view by showing that, far from being an immobile behemoth as it is often described, the French university system—just like that of other European countries—has witnessed a silent revolution over the past twenty years, preparing it for the current reforms and, in particular, for the latest reform of its administration. In order to do this, we shall briefly describe recent developments in French higher education, highlighting inter-faculty and inter-disciplinary power relations at the universities. Drawing on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, we then offer a sociological analysis of these developments1. Over a period of twenty years or so, the face of French higher education has changed considerably, becoming highly diversified. The sectors that saw the most rapid development between 1980 and 2003 are those that are most “professional, ” i.e. respond most directly to business demand. These include business and engineerin