Abstract

University education oriented towards autonomy operates within relationships in which students depend on assessment by those who hold academic authority. This article examines the conditions under which student participation can be democratically legitimate in the face of this asymmetry. It develops a theoretical essay based on argumentative reconstruction, structured around Habermasian communicative rationality. The analysis focuses on undergraduate education and distinguishes epistemic authority, institutional competence to decide, and responsibility for justifying decisions. It argues that the ability to reason does not ensure the conditions for contestation, since unequal resources, intellectual disqualification, and fear of retaliation may restrict participation. It concludes that lecturers’ autonomy and students’ autonomy can be reconciled when the exercise of specialised responsibility remains open to criticism and when raising questions does not undermine the academic recognition of those who ask them.

Keywords

habermas, academic authority, university education