Overview of the Study of History of the Medieval University

Abstract

The world of today is undergoing different transformations. Some scientists believe these processes to be a part of the so-called globalization. While others see it as westernization or regionalization. In accordance to such views, different theories of modernization exist. Hence, they all try to explain how the process of adapting to modernity actually happens. In fact, quite a big group of scientists believes that the Western countries underwent modernization much earlier than the rest of the World. Consequently, countries, which did not belong to the West, had to use different patterns of the Western modernization experience to adequately adapt to the changing world. Education, especially higher education, is one of the most important spheres, which demands modernization in order to change the whole structure of the modernizing society. The following article explores the bibliography and historiography of the study of medieval universities in order to distinguish particular elements of said social institution, which could have been used by non-Western societies during their own modernization.