Objective:

The purpose of this article is to compare two cases of university reform processes in Latin America, critically integrating the results of three research projects on intellectual networks and communities of practice, in Public Universities between 1930-1967, in Colombia and Chile.

Originality/contribution:

This article presents a Comparative Education approach about the formation of intellectual networks and communities of practice in two universities the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and the Universidad de Chile. Academic networks and relationships were graphed to contribute to the study of Latin American universities from the intellectual history approach.

Method:

The research strategy developed articulates two dimensions: a) metadiscursive field, related to conceptual, categorical and comparative analysis; b) case studies, based on research in archives in Chile and Colombia, documentary analysis, elaboration of graphs of intellectual and political networks, triangulation of results in a discussion seminar and conceptual alignment.

Strategies:

(1) State of the art review (2) documentary analysis (3) design of networks schemes (4) comparison and discussion of hypothesis and findings (5) article elaboration.

Conclusion:

Academic networks are composed of various links between subjects, values, representations, languages and stakeholder groups. These factors are expressed in debates, works, political strategies, scientific discourses, institutional influences and efforts to finance university intellectual projects. The evolution of an academic network implies its transformation into communities of practice which have an impact on the institutional conditions of university work, positioning itself in the context of university reform, and acting in the traditional context of communication between science and politics. The studied academic networks contributed to the development of intellectual communities and influenced the modernization of the scientific field in Latin America.

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