The End of Academic Freedom in the Era of Neoliberalism?

Abstract

This paper considers the potential consequences of neoliberalism for present-day universities. From the perspective of critical pedagogy, it focuses on the possible conflicts between neoliberalism and academic freedom as the fundamental component of the academic spirit at universities. The article consists of two parts. The first part introduces critical pedagogy, its roots and its current form, including the limitations that this concept has. The second part then discusses the neoliberal transformation of research and teaching at universities from the critical-pedagogical perspective, as shown in the example of pedagogical faculties. The conclusion outlines possibilities of critical pedagogy to cultivate an academic spirit at universities. It finds them, for example, in research independent from grant schemes, but nonetheless relevant to the professional community, in the sensitive management of universities and in undergraduate teaching curricula that accentuates the broadminded teacher rather than competency-based education. The article ends with a conciliatory vision of sustainable academic life that balances on the border between the economic dimension of universities and academic freedom independent of the labor market.

Keywords

• academic freedom
• competency-based education
• critical pedagogy
• critical theory
• neoliberalism
• undergraduate teacher education