The conceit of activism in the illiberal university

Abstract

The popular image of activism in the university involves students and academics campaigning for social justice and resisting the neo-liberalisation of the university. Yet activism has been subtly corporatised through the migration of corporate social responsibility from the private sector into the university, a trend that may be illustrated by reference to the growing influence of research ‘grand challenges’ (GCs). Attracting both government and philanthro-capitalist funding, GCs adopt a socio-political stance based on justice globalism and represent a responsibilisation of academic research interests. Compliance with the rhetoric of GCs and the virtues of inter-disciplinarity have become an article of faith for academics compelled to meet the expectations of research-intensive universities in chasing the prestige and resources associated with large grant capture. The responsibilisation of the efforts of researchers, via GCs, erodes academic ownership of the research agenda and weakens the purpose of the university as an independent think tank: the essence of the Humboldtian ideal. The conceit of corporate activism is that in seeking to solve the world’s problems, the university will inevitably create new ones. Instead, as Flexner argued, it is only by preserving the independence and positive ‘irresponsibility’ of researchers that universities can best serve the world.

Why critique the sacred and the profane in higher education: In conversation with Professor Bruce Macfarlane

“…This is not necessarily a popular position, though, as it questions how universities like to posture on social issues concerning things such as UNESCO's sustainable development goals. I am quite skeptical about the virtue of universities signing up for this sort of corporate activism (see Macfarlane, 2021a) because it creates constituent corporatized models of thought that decenter independent academic thinking. So, to me, there is a praxis concerning the way that academics work but also a wider one in terms of how this debate plays out at an institutional or corporate level.…”

What Makes Writing Academic

“…The following remarks are brief and can be read as promissories for a future conversation. These are inspired by a thought-provoking and controversial reflection by educationalist Bruce Macfarlane (2021a) who argued that activism and social justice have been coopted as SAPs by neoliberal universities. Traditionally, activism fell outside the remit of the SAPs of the university because it was the prerogative of grassroots movements which approached change from the bottom-up, from 'the street' , so to speak (see, for example, Choudry [2020] on 'activist knowledge').…”

Learning to (depoliticize) critique: Critical knowledge and the formation of elite habitus in a predominantly White institution

“…These three examples of student life at the College capture a critical conundrum: the emergence of a moral imperative of “being critical” that does not leave much room to discuss the very meanings of being “critical” or “political.” That is, in the neoliberal imaginary, the Good Student—the desirable fictional character that elite schools must produce— should also embody a “critical” and “activist” outlook. In higher educational institutions, agendas of academic activism, originally initiated to promote social justice and resistance toward neoliberal management regimes, have been subtly corporatized through the migration of corporate social responsibility from the private sector into the university (for example, Macfarlane, 2021; Stein, 2019; Urciuoli, 2022). Similar to the Good Student 1.0 prototype, a Good Student 2.0 is also flexible, resourceful and productive; yet a 2.0 Good Student boasts their “critical consciousness” and should make use of their “skills” to advocate for the cause they care about.…”