Institutional Power Relations and the Construction of Fear: Their Impact on Students’ Critical Thinking in Higher Education
Keywords:
Power Relations, Campus Authority, Student Fear, Critical Thinking, Sexual HarassmentAbstract
Unequal power relations within higher education institutions may generate fear that restricts academic freedom and undermines students’ critical thinking. This study aims to analyze how institutional power relations construct mechanisms of fear and influence students’ willingness to express criticism toward university authorities. This study employed a qualitative approach using a library research design by analyzing scholarly journal articles, academic books, policy documents, and other relevant publications. The findings reveal that fear is not merely an individual psychological response but a socially constructed mechanism produced by unequal power relations, weak institutional protection, hierarchical organizational cultures, and limited trust in institutional reporting systems. These conditions foster institutional silence, increase self-censorship, reduce student participation in advocacy, and weaken the university’s role as a space for academic dialogue and institutional check and balance. Therefore, strengthening transparent governance, establishing independent reporting mechanisms, and ensuring adequate protection for students are essential to fostering a democratic academic culture and promoting critical thinking in higher education.
Abstrak
Hubungan kuasa yang tidak setara di dalam lembaga pendidikan tinggi dapat menimbulkan rasa takut yang membatasi kebebasan akademik dan melemahkan pemikiran kritis mahasiswa. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis bagaimana hubungan kuasa institusional membentuk mekanisme rasa takut dan memengaruhi kesediaan mahasiswa untuk menyampaikan kritik terhadap pihak berwenang di universitas. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan desain penelitian perpustakaan, yaitu dengan menganalisis artikel jurnal ilmiah, buku akademik, dokumen kebijakan, dan publikasi relevan lainnya. Temuan penelitian menunjukkan bahwa rasa takut bukan sekadar respons psikologis individu, melainkan mekanisme yang dibangun secara sosial akibat hubungan kekuasaan yang tidak seimbang, perlindungan institusional yang lemah, budaya organisasi yang hierarkis, serta keterbatasan kepercayaan terhadap sistem pelaporan institusional. Kondisi-kondisi ini memicu kebisuan institusional, meningkatkan sensor diri, mengurangi partisipasi mahasiswa dalam advokasi, serta melemahkan peran universitas sebagai ruang dialog akademik dan sistem checks and balances institusional. Oleh karena itu, memperkuat tata kelola yang transparan, membangun mekanisme pelaporan yang independen, dan memastikan perlindungan yang memadai bagi mahasiswa sangatlah penting untuk menumbuhkan budaya akademik yang demokratis serta mendorong pemikiran kritis dalam perguruan tinggi.
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