UNIVERSITY WITHOUT WALLS: DIALOGUE OF KNOWLEDGES AS A PRINCIPLE OF INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION

Abstract

This article presents an original reflection on the Dialogue of Knowledges from the perspective of university management and governance, based on UNESCO's conceptual frameworks and the authors' academic experience. It is proposed that the symbolic walls historically built within universities—between fields of knowledge, teaching modalities, academic functions, and between faculty and administrators—must be overcome through institutional practices that foster integration, epistemic diversity, and intercultural listening. The Dialogue of Knowledges is understood here as an approach that goes beyond interdisciplinarity, challenging a fragmentary mindset and promoting the co-construction of meaning in higher education. It calls for a shift in the institutional ethos toward a governance model rooted in plurality, cooperation, and collective authorship, aiming to reframe the university as a space of ethical commitment and social transformation.