The University, Neoliberalism, and the Humanities: A History

Abstract

Neoliberalism has since the 1970s had a significant negative impact on higher education in the U.S., but this ideology and political program is not solely to blame for the current situation of the humanities or the university. The American university was never the autonomous institution imagined by German idealists, but it was rather always strongly connected to both the state and civil society. Many of the cultural currents and social forces that have led to the reduction in public spending on higher education and to lower enrollments in the humanities long antedate neoliberalism.

Strange Bedfellows: Austerity and Social Justice at the Neoliberal University

“…One must consider the impact that this corporatisation of university governance has on the vision, values and priorities of the institutions. The evidence from two decades worth of studies clearly demonstrates that universities are increasingly adopting business or corporate management models and their concomitant values and practices (Brownlee 2015;Frabricant and Brier 2016;Giroux 2002;Gould 2003;Rhoades et al 2019;Shumway 2017;Spooner 2021;Tuchman 2011). More than a decade ago two higher-education professors, Sheila Slaughter and Gary Rhoades (2010), first wrote of what they term "academic capitalism".…”

Neoliberalism’s influence on American universities: How the business model harms students and society

“…Although some members of the US bourgeoisie supported this group, this movement had little effect on academic institutions and policy until the 1970s. And in 1980, with the election of Ronald Reagan, the influence of neoliberalism grew (Shumway, 2017).…”

“…Although Americans were experiencing a recession with the highest unemployment level in decades, the growth of the food assistance program had been stopped (Pear, 1982). The cut in spending under the Reagan administration meant there would be less support for higher education (Shumway, 2017).…”

“…As a result, between 1990 and 2010, public colleges and universities experienced a decrease in student funding, while the US inflation rate averaged over 2% per year. As Figures 1 and 2 show, harsher cuts occurred after the Great Recession of 2008, leading most states to experience more reductions in state support for higher education and to increases in tuition (Mitchell et al, 2017;Shumway, 2017).…”

“…Rather than complain about the cut in spending, many university executives allowed this to occur as long as they could raise tuition. These executives saw this trend as a chance to free themselves from the whims of state legislatures and to take advantage of the opportunities privatization might offer (Shumway, 2017).…”