This study explores the dynamics of power relations between lecturers and students during thesis supervision at an Islamic Higher Education Institution (PTKI) in Indonesia. Drawing on Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the research analyzes text, discursive practices, and social practices from a series of WhatsApp conversations between students and supervisors. To strengthen the theoretical framework, the study integrates Foucault’s notion of disciplinary power and Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, capital, and symbolic violence. Data were collected from authentic digital conversations during supervision and analyzed through three stages: reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that lecturers often use directive and concise language to regulate supervision, while students consistently employ politeness strategies such as greetings, apologies, and gratitude. This asymmetrical relationship reflects not only linguistic domination but also the institutional and cultural structures of PTKI, where lecturers hold greater cultural and symbolic capital. Furthermore, symbolic violence is evident as students internalize hierarchical relations and accept inequality as natural. The study concludes that supervision is not merely an academic process but also a site of power reproduction. The implications highlight the need for more dialogic supervisory practices to balance authority and agency, as well as institutional support to ensure democratic communication in academic supervision.