This talk will address the different purposes of higher education as a social institution. It will introduce three broad debates about what higher education is for: a citizenship project, a political economy project, and a social justice project. Each project is expected to ‘offer’ something to society or to the individuals that take part in higher education. There is, however, one case which puts to challenge these constructions and invites us to rethink the unintended consequences of academic work. I will present the case of Paraguayan educationalist Martín Almada, whose PhD thesis was key to unveil one of the darkest episodes in Latin America's history.