beyond unbundling and elitism submitted 301213

8/10/2019 Beyond Unbundling and Elitism Submitted 301213

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Beyond unbundling and elitism: new futures for the popularautonomous university?

Professor Keri Facer, Graduate School of Education, University of BristolCite as: Facer, K (20!" #$s all$ de la desa%re%aci&n y el elitis'o: Un nuevo futuro )ara launiversidad aut&no'a )o)ular* Ge+erc, - (Coord-"- (20!"- Conoci'iento .ecnolo%/a y

ensean1a- Pol/ticas y )r$cticas universitarias- Barcelona: Grao-

1. Introduction

.he idea that the university is in crisis, or at least a state of si%nicant 3u4, has5een around for so'e ti'e- 6ndeed, stru%%les over the 'eanin% and )ur)ose ofuniversities have 5een a to)ic of de5ate in 'ost traditions of +estern thou%htsince the Enli%hten'ent (7eadin%s, 889 Barnett, 20" r%ua5ly, ho+ever, +eare no+ in a distinctive )hase in this de5ate, +hich has 'oved ine4ora5ly a+ayfro' the co')etition for )ri'acy 5et+een culture, reli%ion and science to+ardsan e4istential concern +ith the very continuation of the university itself (Calhoun,20 Bar5er, 20;"- .hese distinctive conte')orary concerns are under)inned,in )articular, 5y chan%in% econo'ic and technolo%ical conditions- .he for'er)rovides a )articular )olitical i')etus and rationale the latter )rovides theinfrastructure and 'echanis's, to )rovide a )lausi5le 5asis for i'a%inin% theradical disa%%re%ation of universities as +e university" second, the distinctive 'ode of resistance to this ar%u'ent that isca)tured in the a))eal to the li5eral autono'ous university and third, the li'itsto this )articular for' of resistance- Finally, 6 +ant to e4)lore so'e e'er%in%ideas of the ?)o)ular> university to )ro)ose a di@erent +ay of fra'in% the %rounds

of the de5ate, in the ho)e that this 'i%ht ena5le the identication of )roductiveareas for future research and for the for'ation of ne+ alliances- .his refra'in% isintended to resist 5oth the headlon% rush to+ards the radical deconstruction ofthe university 5y either neoli5eral or )o)ular social 'ove'ents, as +ell as thenostal%ic retreat into the enclave of the elite, autono'ous university-

2. The end of the university?

.he 5an su5ects and student fees increased to 8000 )erannu'-

Such chan%es, nota5ly, are not 5ein% 'et +ith universal )u5lic o))osition-6ndeed, the a+areness that it +as eliteuniversityeducated %raduates +ho +ereleadin% the failin% 5an hi%her education and the +ider )u5lic %ood- t the sa'e ti'e, thecontinuin% conditions of 'ass undere')loy'ent a'on%st %raduates unsettles


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the fa'iliar narrative that hi%her education develo)s hu'an ca)acities for societyas a +hole, +hile si'ultaneously increasin%ly the i')ortance of hi%her educationas an individual )ositional %ood essential for 'aintenance of 'iddle class status(Bro+n et al, 20 Calhoun, 20"- Such conditions li'ited )u5lic nances,declinin% )u5lic condence in the 5enets of the institution are )ro)itiousfoundations for the +holesale o)enin% u) of universities to the lo%ic of 'ar


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for curiosity driven research, for )rotectin% a +ide ran%e of teachin% )ro%ra''es,or for civic activities and res)onsi5ilities- .here is little %uarantee in this 'odelthat the )resent de'ands of the 'ar )ri'ary res)onsi5ility is to serve the )u5lic %ood 5y)ursuin% s)ecialist, disci)linary inHuiry, driven 5y curiosity, )eer revie+ andchallen%e +ithin the disci)line- .here is, i')ortantly, a stron% theoreticalunder)innin% to such clai's- .he %radual accretion of evidence and insi%ht +ithin


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)articular interest %rou)s this defense )ays insuMcient attention to the critiHuesof the elite li5eral 'odel that have hel)ed to sustain )o)ular )olitical su))ort forintrusive accounta5ility and audit in the university sector- 6ts advocates )ay toolittle attention to the elision 5et+een )o+erful s u5erneoli5eral education 'anifesto +ith

its conce)tuali1ation of university )ur)ose as +innin% ?the %lo5al +ar for hu'anca)ital> (20;"-

6n the end, the de'and for autono'y of inHuiry, as #ar%inson (2000" hasde'onstrated, )rovides fe+ safe%uards in itself a%ainst a shift to+ards econo'icinstru'entalis', )articularly at a ti'e of declinin% )u5lic nances- .heautono'ous, self'ana%in% scholar loo


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state or the 'ar


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e'anci)atory, collective and de'ocratic social learnin% )ractice- .hey are for'edof alle%iances 5et+een acade'ics and activists, social researchers and )olicy'a and ?li5eral>universities decide to e4)lore their co''on %round: na'ely, their sharedne%ative o))osition to econo'ically instru'ental and individuali1in% for's ofhi%her education and their shared )ositive as)iration for the )ursuit of and ?)o)ular> clai's to university 'ade 5y advocates of the ?)o)ular>university e'er%es 5oth fro' )oststructuralist thin


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)roduce totali1in% and universali1in%


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[email protected] does not i')ly erodin% the 5arriers 5et+een the di@erent 'odesand )ractices of - =hat is reHuired no+, ho+ever, issyste'atic and critical re3ection on these )rocesses to e4a'ine +hether they areo)enin% u) the )otential for a )o+erful articulation of li5eral and )o)ular ideas ofthe university-

(. The possibility of phronesis

6n his 202 analysis of di@erent for's of action research, lav Ei


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it locates all ? as en%a%ed in )ractice +hether this is the )ractice ofresearch %eneration in li5eral universities or in social 'ove'ents or co''unityor%anisations there is no ? +ho is not also testin% and re3ectin% on)ractice and no )ractitioner +ho o)erates +ithout theory- Second, it 'a and ?deli5erative> roles eachfor the other-

ne site in +hich such a conce)tion of the relationshi) 5et+een li5eral and)o)ular )ractices 'i%ht 5e tested is in the UK>s Connected Co''unitiesPro%ra''e- .he )ro%ra''e, launched in 200, is dedicated to interdisci)linaryresearch into ?co''unity> conducted +ith, 5y and for co''unities- .o date,nearly ;00 )roects have 5een funded under this )ro%ra''e +ith varyin% de%reesof co''unity )artici)ation in the desi%n, conduct and analysis of the research- tthe heart of the )ro%ra''e is an as)iration to develo) research 'ethods thate@ectively dra+ on the e4)ertise, insi%hts and e4)erience of 5oth co''unitiesand acade'ics

s +ith any research )ro%ra''e, its ori%ins are 'ulti)le and contested and itsori%inal ?)ur)oses> +ithin university fundin% councils re'ain the su5ect of so'ede5ate- )o)ular critiHue of the )ro%ra''e +ould )oint out that in ter's of thefa'iliar Huestion of ?+hose , the Connected Co''unities)ro%ra''e still re3ects the ethnic and class 'a


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)roects )rovide so'e insi%hts into ho+ di@erent +ays of


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65n Khaldun once 'ade the case that all %reat civilisations and institutions aresu5ect to )eriods of %ro+th and decline- .he tric


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a%oriana

beyond unbundling and elitism submitted 301213

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