ABSTRACT

Universities have been propelled into the center of the global political economy of knowledge production by a number of factors: mass education, academic capitalism, the globalization of knowledge, the democratization of communication in the era of the Internet, and the emergence of the knowledge and innovation economy. The latest book in the International Studies in Higher Education series, Universities and the Public Sphere addresses the vital role of research universities as global public spheres, sites where public interaction, conversation and deliberation take place, where the nature of the State and private interests can be openly debated and contested. At a time of increased privatization, open markets, and government involvement in higher education, the book also addresses the challenges facing the university in its role as a global public sphere.
 
In this volume, international contributors challenge prevalent views of the global marketplace to create a deeper understanding of higher education's role in knowledge creation and nation building. In nearly every national context the pressures of globalization, neo-liberal economic restructuring, and new managerial imperatives challenge traditional norms of autonomy, academic freedom, access and affordability. The authors in Universities and the Public Sphere argue that universities are uniquely suited to have transformative democratic potential as global public spheres.

chapter |17 pages

The Global Sorting Machine

An Examination of Neoracism Among International Students and Postdoctoral Researchers

chapter |16 pages

Reconsidering the Realities of the International Student Market

A Perspective from Japan and East Asia

chapter |19 pages

University Rankings, Global Models, and Emerging Hegemony

Critical Analysis from Japan

chapter |17 pages

Negotiating Race and Gender Identity in the Knowledge Age

The Case of South African Universities

chapter |18 pages

Selling Out Academia?

Higher Education, Economic Crises, and Freire's Generative Themes

chapter |21 pages

Post-Neoliberalism

The Professional Identity of Faculty Off the Tenure Track

chapter |23 pages

The Chameleon's Agenda

Entrepreneurial Adaptation of Private Higher Education in Mexico