Value and the Humanities: The Neoliberal University and Our Victorian Inheritance

Bulaitis, Z
Date: 29 June 2020
Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan
Publisher DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37892-9
Abstract
The book engages with crucial contemporary debates about the future for the humanities. It is highly significant given the widespread attention currently being directed towards this area both in terms of public debate and academic research. 'Value and the Humanities' traces the shift from liberal to neoliberal education from the ...
The book engages with crucial contemporary debates about the future for the humanities. It is highly significant given the widespread attention currently being directed towards this area both in terms of public debate and academic research. 'Value and the Humanities' traces the shift from liberal to neoliberal education from the nineteenth century to the present day, in order to provide a rich and previously underdeveloped narrative of value in higher education in England. Rather than attempting to justify the value of the humanities within presiding economic frameworks, or writing a defence against market rationalism, this book offers an original contribution through an immersion in historical, financial, and critical debates concerning educational policy. 'Value and the Humanities' specifically engages with the context of higher education in the UK although the arguments have international repercussions. Drawing upon close reading and discursive analysis, the book constructs a nuanced map of the intersections of value in the humanities. The discussion encompasses an exploration of policymaking practices (chapter one), scientific discourse (chapter two), mediated representations (chapter three), and public cultural life (chapter four). The overarching argument of the book is that reflecting on Victorian legacies of economism and public accountability enables us to reconsider valuation cultures in higher education in the twenty-first century. Each chapter explores interconnections and inheritances of the nineteenth-century, including topics such as liberalism, economic policy, the expansion of education, accountability, and the expansion of public cultural institutions. Instead of being an assertion of the traditional value of the humanities, as a democratic force, as an intrinsic good, as valued beyond account, 'Value and the Humanities' embraces and interrogates the present entanglement of economics that the academy finds itself in.
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© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2020. This book is an open access publication. Open Access This book is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this book are included in the book’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the book’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Except where otherwise noted, this item's licence is described as © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2020. This book is an open access publication. Open Access This book is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this book are included in the book’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the book’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.