the fall of academia
Table of Contents
neoliberalism
Mintz (2021), among many others, argues that neoliberalism is to blame for many of the processes that ultimately lead to our dissatisfaction with our universities. Many articles and essays below come from english speaking countries such as US, UK, and Australia, where US-style capitalism has led to a more severe decay in academic structures. However, some facets of neoliberalisation are also observed in German universities.
Ask three academics what ‘neoliberalism’ is, and you’ll get three different answers — at least one of which will be ‘there’s no such thing.’ — David Plunkert, How the University Became Neoliberal
Neoliberalism sensu Harvey (2005) is a system of thought and action within an institutional framework, characterised by free market and trade ideology and an emphasis on private property rights, which advocates deregulation, privatisation, and cutting down state responsibility in social provision.
protestant workflow
Westenberg (2025) refers to Max Weber to point out the relation between capitalist and Protestant ethics, which also apply to the overall mood of the neoliberal university:
… a belief in hard work, deferred gratification, and the visible signs of effort as a proxy for salvation. — Joan Westenberg, The Cult of Hard Mode
The suffering and complexity of the system become its inherent value.
quantification & measurement fetish
Obsession of upper management with quantifying metrics of performancee is usually named as a signifier of the neoliberal university (Fleming, 2021).
Der Neoliberalismus hat vor allem ein Grundproblem: Er kann einfach nicht vertrauen. Alles muss gemessen, evaluiert und in konkreten Zahlen festgehalten werden – quantifizierbar, überprüfbar, berechenbar. — Oliver Czulo, Die neoliberale Universität: ein kleines Schaudermärchen
Lenardic also has a similar observation:
Academic Managers now call themselves Academic Leaders and hold to the view, more so than ever, that if you can't attach a number to it, then it's meaningless. Exam scores, metrics to measure faculty production, etc. All must be quantified, all must be meaureable in ways that allows bean counters to easily count beans. Quality is relegated to the world of nostalgia. — Adrian Lenardic, mastodon conversation