The debate Modernism versus Postmodernism: impact in the university ; El debate Modernismo versus Postmodernismo: su impacto en la universidad
Postmodernism,while supporting epistemologically itself in the poststructuralist theory, has marked its footprint in education with the realities of 'fragmentation', 'incoherence' and 'political chaos'. While there are academics which assert that 'there is not a postmodern theory of education', we can indeed state that postmodernism has translated a 'disorder of political strategies' in education that, on the one side, promote the elements of the progressive paradigms in education and, on the other side, have determined a 'cultural restauracionism' that bet and stake for the elements of the traditional paradigms of pedagogy. The relation of postmodernism with the university has achieved a deslegitimation of the Humboldtian social contract between the State and the university, urging the university to respond to the external expectations of the economy and the society. This has sanctioned some unknown processes of a relativistic and presentist type, which are far from availing the argumental strength that holds the traditional modernist doctrine. The impact of the postmodernism in Comparative Education makes plausible the increase of the future prominence of the applied studies of the International Education in face of the approach more theoretical and academic studies of Comparative Education. The 'ambiguity' and 'asystematicity' of Comparative Education is strengthen and is permeable to the introduction of new themes such as postcolonialism. The comparative discipline is currently experiencing a reconceptualization with challenges such as the production of a comparative research oriented to practice. Although a big part of academics are keen to the employment of creativity ressources I order to face the challenges of postmodernism, we cannot disdain the contribution of the teleological sciences in Comparative Education, very specially Philosophy and Theology, which provide the comparative studies with the north and compass needed in this new late modern society. ; El postmodernismo, que se sustenta epistemológicamente en el postestructuralismo, ha marcado su huella en educación con las realidades de "fragmentación", "incoherencia" y "caos político". Aunque hay académicos que aseveran que "no existe una teoría postmoderna de la educación" (Green, 1994), en la actualidad asistimos al debate de académicos modernistas versus teóricos postmodernos que reivindican, respectivamente, su visión de la universidad en términos de la idea de la universidad, la teleología, las funciones sociales y la epistemología de la institución universitaria. Especialmente imperioso se revela el análisis de las aportaciones del Proceso de Bolonia en la institución universitaria y en el debate modernismo-postmodernismo, en tanto que la potestad educativa de la Unión Europea ha dejado una huella en la tradición educativa universitaria del continente europeo. En suma, entre las conclusiones de este debate destaca la imperiosidad de potenciar las ciencias humanas en tanto que la universidad sigue ejerciendo su rol de liderazgo político y social de la sociedad occidental. A las humanidades y las ciencias sociales compete, más que a otras disciplinas actualmente promovidas por el profesionalismo imperante, el diseño del modelo de hombre y de sociedad en el siglo XXI. Sin esa orientación, la misma sociedad queda al dictado de la economía como única vigía social, con todos los riesgos, limitaciones y empobrecimiento social y moral que esto supone.