9 - Re-envisioning the Academic Profession in the Shadow of Corporate Managerialism*
Journal of Higher Education in Africa,
Vol. 5 No. 1 (2007): Journal of Higher Education in Africa
Abstract
This article argues that global and South African changes to universities have re- sulted in change being led by corporate managerialism. This has created new roles and new difficulties for academics, who display signs of stress and low morale. The article examines the case of UNISA, together with international and South African evidence on academics. The changing class status of academics is also examined. The negative yet pervasive psychical consequences of intrusive bureaucracy are discussed. The concept of ‘knowledge production’ is then subjected to a critique to outline a core academic role involving, firstly, using disciplinary rigour to open up debates and facilitate openness to the density of the real world, and secondly, work- ing through transferential dependences in teaching and research. It concludes by recommending the formation of a ‘critical collegial movement’ which will explore what new academic role is appropriate to the new situation, and which will take action to empower academics through increased collegiality.
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- Altbach, P., 1999, ‘The Logic of Mass Higher Education’, Tertiary Education and Management, Vol. 5, pp. 105–122.
- Altbach, P., 2002, ‘Centers and Peripheries in the Academic Profession: The Spe- cial Challenge of Developing Countries’, in P. Altbach, ed., The Decline of the Guru: The Academic Profession in Developing and Middle-Income Countries, Chester Hill, MA: Center for International Higher Education. pp. 1–21.
- Badat, S., 1999, ‘South African Higher Education: The Challenge of Change’, In- ternational Higher Education, Vol. 15, Spring.
- Badat, S., 2001, ‘Harold Wolpe Memorial Lecture’, Keynote address, South Afri- can Association for Research and Development in Higher Education, South Af- rican Journal of Higher Education/ SATHO, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 5–12.
- Bennett, J.B., 1998, Collegial Professionalism: The Academy, Individualism, and the Common Good, Phoenix, Arizona: American Council on Education and Oryx Press.
- Bourdieu, P., 1988, Homo Academicus, Cambridge: Polity.
- Boyle, N., 1999, Who Are We Now? Christian Humanism and the Global Market from Hegel to Heaney, South Bend, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
- Castells, M., 1996, The Rise of the Network Society. The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Volume 1, Oxford: Blackwell.
- Churchman, D., 2002, ‘Voices of the Academy: Academics’ Responses to a Corporatised University’, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, Vol. 13, Nos. 5–6, pp. 643–656.
- Churchman, D., 2006, ‘Institutional Commitments, Individual Compromises: Iden- tity-Related Responses to Compromise in an Australian University’, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 3–15.
- Cross, M., Mkwanazi-Twala, Z., and Klein, G., eds., 1998. Dealing with Diversity in South African Education: A Debate on the Politics of a National Curriculum, Kenwyn: Juta.
- Enders, J., 1999, ‘Crisis? What Crisis? The Academic Professions in the Knowl- edge Society’, Higher Education, No. 38, pp. 71–81.
- Fransman, H., 2001, ‘The Professionalisation of Higher Education Practitioners’, South African Journal of Higher Education/SATHO, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 5–7. Fourie, M., 1999, ‘Institutional Transformation at South African Universities: Implications for Academic Staff’, Higher Education, No. 38, pp. 275–290.
- Hazemi, R., Hailes, S. and Wilbur, S., eds., 1998, The Digital University: Reinventing the Academy, London: Springer-Verlag.
- Huber, M.T., 2003, ‘The Movement to Recognize and Reward Different Kinds of Scholarly Work’, Presidential panel, annual meeting of the American Anthropo- logical Association, Chicago.
- Jansen, J., 2004, ‘Changes and Continuities in South Africa’s Higher Education System, 1994 to 2004’, in L. Chisholm, ed., Changing Class: Education and Social Change in Post-apartheid South Africa, Pretoria: HSRC Press. pp. 293– 314.
- Johnson, B., 2006, ‘South African Academia in Crisis: The Spread of Contrived Collegial Managerialism’, South African Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 58–71.
- Kistner, U., 2007, ‘Excess beyond Excellence: The University Beyond the Balance Sheet.’ Journal of Higher Education in Africa, Vol. 5, No. 1. pp. 79–94.
- Marginson, S., 2000, ‘Rethinking Academic Work in the Global Era’, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 23–35.
- Martin, B.R. and Etzkowitz, H., 2000, The Origin and Evolution of the University Species, VEST 13. pp. 9–34.
- Mbembe, A., 2006, ‘The Cultural Politics of South Africa’s Foreign Policy: Be- tween Black Internationalism and Afropolitanism’. (http://www.hsrc.ac.za/research/programmes/DG/events /20060411_achille_mbembe.pdf). 29 September. Muller, J., 2005, ‘The World is Not Enough: Knowledge in Question’, South African Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 81–103.
- Olivier, M., de Jager, M., Grootboom, P., and Tokota, K., 2005, ‘Work Wellness: A Prerequisite for Effective Education in Higher Education Institutions’, South African Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp. 912–930.
- Ozga, J., 1998, ‘The Entrepreneurial Researcher: Re-formations of Identity in the Research Marketplace’, International Studies in the Sociology of Education, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 143–153.
- Peter, K., 2002, ‘Weberian Collegiality and Academic Freedom in the Western University’, in D.S. Preston, ed., The University of Crisis, Amsterdam: Rodopi. pp. 21–42.
- Peters, M.A., 2003, ‘Classical Political Economy and the Role of Universities in the New Knowledge Economy’, Globalisation, Societies and Education, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 153–167.
- Preston, D.S., ed., 2002, The University of Crisis, Amsterdam: Rodopi. Rajagopal, I. and Farr, W., 1992, ‘Hidden Academics: The Part-time Faculty in Canada’ Higher Education, No. 24, pp. 317–331.
- Readings, B., 1996, The University in Ruins, Cambridge, Mass: Harvard Univer- sity Press.
- Robbins, B., 1993, Secular Vocations: Intellectuals, Professionalism, Culture, Lon- don: Verso.
- Santner, E.L., 2001, The Psychotheology of Everyday Life: Reflections on Freud and Rosenzweig, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- Subotzky, G., 1999, ‘Alternatives to the Entrepreneurial University: New Modes of Knowledge Production in Community Service Programs’, Higher Education, No. 38, pp. 401–440.
- Subotzky, G. and Cele, G., 2004, ‘New Modes of Knowledge Production: Peril or Promise for Developing Countries?’, in P. Zeleza and A. Olukoshi, eds., African Universities in the Twenty-first Century, Volume II, Dakar: Codesria. pp. 341– 362.
- Teferra, D. and Altbach, P., 2004, ‘African Higher Education: Challenges for the Twenty-First Century, Higher Education, No. 47, pp. 21–50.
- University of South Africa, 2005, 2015 Strategic Plan: An Agenda for Transforma- tion, Pretoria: UNISA.
- Van der Pijl, K., 1998, Transnational Classes and International Relations, Lon- don: Routledge.
- Webster, E. and Mosoetsa, S., 2001, ‘At the Chalk Face: Managerialism and the Changing Academic Workplace 1995–2001’, Unpublished paper commissioned as support material for the book Transformation in Higher Education: Global pressures and local realities in South Africa. CHET Board.
- Zeleza, P. and Olukoshi, A., eds., 2004, African Universities in the Twenty-first Century, Volume II, Dakar: CODESRIA.
References
Altbach, P., 1999, ‘The Logic of Mass Higher Education’, Tertiary Education and Management, Vol. 5, pp. 105–122.
Altbach, P., 2002, ‘Centers and Peripheries in the Academic Profession: The Spe- cial Challenge of Developing Countries’, in P. Altbach, ed., The Decline of the Guru: The Academic Profession in Developing and Middle-Income Countries, Chester Hill, MA: Center for International Higher Education. pp. 1–21.
Badat, S., 1999, ‘South African Higher Education: The Challenge of Change’, In- ternational Higher Education, Vol. 15, Spring.
Badat, S., 2001, ‘Harold Wolpe Memorial Lecture’, Keynote address, South Afri- can Association for Research and Development in Higher Education, South Af- rican Journal of Higher Education/ SATHO, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 5–12.
Bennett, J.B., 1998, Collegial Professionalism: The Academy, Individualism, and the Common Good, Phoenix, Arizona: American Council on Education and Oryx Press.
Bourdieu, P., 1988, Homo Academicus, Cambridge: Polity.
Boyle, N., 1999, Who Are We Now? Christian Humanism and the Global Market from Hegel to Heaney, South Bend, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
Castells, M., 1996, The Rise of the Network Society. The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Volume 1, Oxford: Blackwell.
Churchman, D., 2002, ‘Voices of the Academy: Academics’ Responses to a Corporatised University’, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, Vol. 13, Nos. 5–6, pp. 643–656.
Churchman, D., 2006, ‘Institutional Commitments, Individual Compromises: Iden- tity-Related Responses to Compromise in an Australian University’, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 3–15.
Cross, M., Mkwanazi-Twala, Z., and Klein, G., eds., 1998. Dealing with Diversity in South African Education: A Debate on the Politics of a National Curriculum, Kenwyn: Juta.
Enders, J., 1999, ‘Crisis? What Crisis? The Academic Professions in the Knowl- edge Society’, Higher Education, No. 38, pp. 71–81.
Fransman, H., 2001, ‘The Professionalisation of Higher Education Practitioners’, South African Journal of Higher Education/SATHO, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 5–7. Fourie, M., 1999, ‘Institutional Transformation at South African Universities: Implications for Academic Staff’, Higher Education, No. 38, pp. 275–290.
Hazemi, R., Hailes, S. and Wilbur, S., eds., 1998, The Digital University: Reinventing the Academy, London: Springer-Verlag.
Huber, M.T., 2003, ‘The Movement to Recognize and Reward Different Kinds of Scholarly Work’, Presidential panel, annual meeting of the American Anthropo- logical Association, Chicago.
Jansen, J., 2004, ‘Changes and Continuities in South Africa’s Higher Education System, 1994 to 2004’, in L. Chisholm, ed., Changing Class: Education and Social Change in Post-apartheid South Africa, Pretoria: HSRC Press. pp. 293– 314.
Johnson, B., 2006, ‘South African Academia in Crisis: The Spread of Contrived Collegial Managerialism’, South African Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 58–71.
Kistner, U., 2007, ‘Excess beyond Excellence: The University Beyond the Balance Sheet.’ Journal of Higher Education in Africa, Vol. 5, No. 1. pp. 79–94.
Marginson, S., 2000, ‘Rethinking Academic Work in the Global Era’, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 23–35.
Martin, B.R. and Etzkowitz, H., 2000, The Origin and Evolution of the University Species, VEST 13. pp. 9–34.
Mbembe, A., 2006, ‘The Cultural Politics of South Africa’s Foreign Policy: Be- tween Black Internationalism and Afropolitanism’. (http://www.hsrc.ac.za/research/programmes/DG/events /20060411_achille_mbembe.pdf). 29 September. Muller, J., 2005, ‘The World is Not Enough: Knowledge in Question’, South African Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 81–103.
Olivier, M., de Jager, M., Grootboom, P., and Tokota, K., 2005, ‘Work Wellness: A Prerequisite for Effective Education in Higher Education Institutions’, South African Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp. 912–930.
Ozga, J., 1998, ‘The Entrepreneurial Researcher: Re-formations of Identity in the Research Marketplace’, International Studies in the Sociology of Education, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 143–153.
Peter, K., 2002, ‘Weberian Collegiality and Academic Freedom in the Western University’, in D.S. Preston, ed., The University of Crisis, Amsterdam: Rodopi. pp. 21–42.
Peters, M.A., 2003, ‘Classical Political Economy and the Role of Universities in the New Knowledge Economy’, Globalisation, Societies and Education, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 153–167.
Preston, D.S., ed., 2002, The University of Crisis, Amsterdam: Rodopi. Rajagopal, I. and Farr, W., 1992, ‘Hidden Academics: The Part-time Faculty in Canada’ Higher Education, No. 24, pp. 317–331.
Readings, B., 1996, The University in Ruins, Cambridge, Mass: Harvard Univer- sity Press.
Robbins, B., 1993, Secular Vocations: Intellectuals, Professionalism, Culture, Lon- don: Verso.
Santner, E.L., 2001, The Psychotheology of Everyday Life: Reflections on Freud and Rosenzweig, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Subotzky, G., 1999, ‘Alternatives to the Entrepreneurial University: New Modes of Knowledge Production in Community Service Programs’, Higher Education, No. 38, pp. 401–440.
Subotzky, G. and Cele, G., 2004, ‘New Modes of Knowledge Production: Peril or Promise for Developing Countries?’, in P. Zeleza and A. Olukoshi, eds., African Universities in the Twenty-first Century, Volume II, Dakar: Codesria. pp. 341– 362.
Teferra, D. and Altbach, P., 2004, ‘African Higher Education: Challenges for the Twenty-First Century, Higher Education, No. 47, pp. 21–50.
University of South Africa, 2005, 2015 Strategic Plan: An Agenda for Transforma- tion, Pretoria: UNISA.
Van der Pijl, K., 1998, Transnational Classes and International Relations, Lon- don: Routledge.
Webster, E. and Mosoetsa, S., 2001, ‘At the Chalk Face: Managerialism and the Changing Academic Workplace 1995–2001’, Unpublished paper commissioned as support material for the book Transformation in Higher Education: Global pressures and local realities in South Africa. CHET Board.
Zeleza, P. and Olukoshi, A., eds., 2004, African Universities in the Twenty-first Century, Volume II, Dakar: CODESRIA.