From collusion to collective compassion: putting heart back into the neoliberal university

As neoliberal ideology has come to dominate higher education, the roles and relationships of managers, academics and students have changed radically. This article outlines ways in which neoliberalism and its companion ideology, neoconservatism, have impacted on higher education through a move to ind...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inPastoral care in education Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 221 - 234
Main Authors Mutch, Carol, Tatebe, Jennifer
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 03.07.2017
Subjects
Accountability
Caring
College Faculty
College Role
Commercialization
Foreign Countries
Higher Education
Individualism
Measurement
neoconservatism
Neoliberalism
New Zealand
Political Attitudes
Resistance (Psychology)
Student Role
Teacher Role
Teaching Experience
Universities
New Zealand
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:As neoliberal ideology has come to dominate higher education, the roles and relationships of managers, academics and students have changed radically. This article outlines ways in which neoliberalism and its companion ideology, neoconservatism, have impacted on higher education through a move to individualism, managerialism, measurement and accountability. While the context for this article is New Zealand, the experiences will resonate with academics worldwide. Using a conceptual framework highlighting conscious, unwitting and coercive complicity, the authors analyse their experiences of teaching in the neoliberal university. They discuss three themes to emerge from their findings: (a) universities as instruments of neoliberalism; (b) academics as managed subjects; and (c) students as entitled consumers. They conclude by offering examples of ways to resist the competitive and individualising regime by creating a culture of care and compassion.
ISSN:0264-3944
1468-0122
DOI:10.1080/02643944.2017.1363814