THE DIGITAL IMAGERY OF SUCCESS: A PHILOSOPHY OF SYMBOLIC CAPITAL ON UNIVERSITY WEBSITES

Madina  ALENOVA; Dinara  IBRAYEVA; Ainur JUMAGALIYEVA

doi:10.32523/3080-1281-2026-154-1-19-33

Authors

Madina ALENOVA KIMEP University Author https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7525-4653
Dinara IBRAYEVA Florida State University Author https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7914-1510
Ainur JUMAGALIYEVA University of Minnesota Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8487-4183

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32523/3080-1281-2026-154-1-19-33

Keywords:

symbolic capital; higher education; university website; discourse analysis; university success; institutional legitimacy; perceived success; digital self-presentation; symbolic power

Abstract

This study examines how universities in Kazakhstan construct and communicate institutional success through their official websites. Drawing on a qualitative discourse analysis of fifteen university websites, the study analyzes how language, imagery, and visuals are used to legitimize institutional positions within the national higher education system. The findings show that universities utilize distinct forms of symbolic capital, including global prestige, state recognition, innovation capacity, and social utility, depending on their position and available resources. Findings revealed that some universities mobilize markers of global excellence and scientific innovation to assert dominance, while others rely on narratives of social utility and local relevance to establish legitimacy. While these strategies vary across institutional types, they reflect and reinforce existing hierarchies. Digital representations normalize inequality by presenting historically and structurally conditioned advantages as natural indicators of merit and quality. The study contributes to research on Kazakhstani higher education by spotlighting university websites as domains of symbolic power and inequality, demonstrating how digital platforms participate in the reproduction of institutional hierarchies within the national education system.

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Author Biographies

Madina ALENOVA, KIMEP University

PhD candidate, KIMEP University, 4, Abay ave., Almanty, Kazakhstan, 050010
Dinara IBRAYEVA, Florida State University

PhD candidate in International and Multicultural Education, Florida State University, 1114 W. Call Street, Tallahassee, Florida, USA, 32306
Ainur JUMAGALIYEVA , University of Minnesota

PhD student, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 100 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, 55455

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