Higher education as a territory colonized by financialization processes

Abstract

This article starts from the hypothesis that the financialization of higher education in the Ibero-American region, from the 1990s onwards, represents a profound reconfiguration of the university field, associated with privatization processes and the diffusion of neoliberal state principles, supported by the parameters and guidelines of international agencies that operate as mediators of the interests of big capital. The central objective is to analyze the dynamics of financialization in countries of the region, highlighting how this phenomenon sustains and reorganizes the privatization of higher education. From a methodological point of view, the study involved a systematic literature review, which constituted the analytical corpus. The results indicate that the topic still lacks systematic investigations in the region: only Brazil and Chile present consistent academic production between 2020 and July 2025, with a majority emphasis on Brazilian contributions. Analyses reveal that the financialization of the academic market is emerging as a trend of expansion for private educational groups with publicly traded shares on stock exchanges, a phenomenon that redefines the role of the university, scientific training, and knowledge production, converting them into assets of contemporary capitalism.