Universities in Crisis:
A Public Sociology Perspective
Michael Burawoy
Koc University, Istanbul, January 4, 2011
UNIVERSITIES IN CRISIS
• Blog: http://www.isasociology.org/universities-in-crisis/
• Third Wave Marketization
– Privatization of Universities
– State Regulation
UNIVERSITIES IN CRISIS
• Blog: http://www.isasociology.org/universities-in-crisis/
• Third Wave Marketization
– Privatization of Universities
– State Regulation
• Erosion of Autonomy
• Global Hierarchy
Market Model: California
• Decline in State Funding
– Lay-offs: Non-Academic Staff
– Reduction of faculty Salaries
– Increase Student Fees
• Privatization
– Corporate Donors
– Science-Industry Collaborations
– Managerialism
• Degradation of Education
– Temporary Faculty
– Talk: Distance learning, Shorter Degree
– Disciplines Threatened
• Hierarchization
Regulation Model: Britain
•
•
•
•
•
•
Making Universities Efficient
Research Assessment Exercise
Planned Targets – Shorter time horizons
Impact Factors
Competition among Universities
Sovietization of Higher Education
BASIC QUESTIONS
• Knowlege for Whom?
• Knowledge for What?
Knowledge for Whom?
• Academic Audience
• Extra-Academic Audience
Knowledge for What?
• Instrumental Knowledge (Pursuit of
means)
• Reflexive Knowledge (Discussion of
ends)
Division of Academic Labor
Academic
Audience
Instrumental
Knowledge
Reflexive
Knowledge
Extra-Academic
Audience
Division of Academic Labor
Academic
Audience
Instrumental
Knowledge
Reflexive
Knowledge
Extra-Academic
Audience
POLICY
Division of Academic Labor
Academic
Audience
Instrumental PROFESSIONAL
Knowledge
Reflexive
Knowledge
Extra-Academic
Audience
POLICY
Division of Academic Labor
Academic
Audience
Instrumental PROFESSIONAL
Knowledge
Reflexive
Knowledge
CRITICAL
Extra-Academic
Audience
POLICY
Division of Academic Labor
Academic
Audience
Extra-Academic
Audience
Instrumental PROFESSIONAL
Knowledge
POLICY
Reflexive
Knowledge
PUBLIC
CRITICAL
ELABORATIONS
Audience
Academic
Extra-Academic
Knowledge
Instrumental
PROFESSIONAL POLICY
Reflexive
CRITICAL
•Types of Knowledge
•Trajectories
•Disciplines
•Interdependence
•Pathologies
•Domination
PUBLIC
THEORIZING CONTEXT
PROFESSIONAL
POLICY
CRITICAL
PUBLIC
Professional
Critical
Policy
h
Public
TRADITIONAL
ADVOCACY
Professional
Critical
Policy
h
Public
TRADITIONAL
SUBSTANTIVE
Professional
Critical
ADVOCACY
Policy
h
Public
TRADITIONAL
SUBSTANTIVE
ADVOCACY
Policy
h
Public
DISCIPLINARY TRADITIONAL
Professional
Critical
SUBSTANTIVE
ADVOCACY
Policy
h
Public
DISCIPLINARY TRADITIONAL
Professional
Critical
GLOBAL CONTEXT
GLOBAL
PROFESSIONAL
PUBLIC
LOCAL
GLOBAL
“Publish Globally,
Perish Locally”
“Publish Locally,
Perish Globally”
LOCAL
GLOBAL
POSTMODERN
COMMERCIAL
LOCAL
PROFESSIONAL
POLICY
CRITICAL
PUBLIC