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[Marxism]TheSlowDeathoftheUniversity

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[Marxism]TheSlowDeathoftheUniversity
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TheChronicleReview,April6,2015
TheSlowDeathoftheUniversity
ByTerryEagleton
Afewyearsago,Iwasbeingshownaroundalarge,verytechnologicallyadvanceduniversityinAsia
byitsproudpresident.Asbefittedsoeminentapersonage,hewasflankedbytwoburlyyoung
mindersinblacksuitsandshades,whoforallIknewwerecarryingKalashnikovsundertheirjackets.
Havingwaxedlyricalabouthisgleamingnewbusinessschoolandstateoftheartinstitutefor
managementstudies,thepresidentpausedtopermitmeafewwordsoffulsomepraise.Iremarked
insteadthatthereseemedtobenocriticalstudiesofanykindonhiscampus.Helookedatme
bemusedly,asthoughIhadaskedhimhowmanyPh.D.sinpoledancingtheyawardedeachyear,and
repliedratherstiffly"Yourcommentwillbenoted."Hethentookasmallpieceofcuttingedge
technologyoutofhispocket,flickeditopenandspokeafewcurtwordsofKoreanintoit,probably
"Killhim."Alimousinethelengthofacricketpitchthenarrived,intowhichthepresidentwas
bundledbyhismindersandsweptaway.Iwatchedhiscardisappearfromview,wonderingwhenhis
orderformyexecutionwastobeimplemented.
ThishappenedinSouthKorea,butitmighthavetakenplacealmostanywhereontheplanet.From
CapeTowntoReykjavik,SydneytoSoPaulo,aneventasmomentousinitsownwayastheCuban
revolutionortheinvasionofIraqissteadilyunderway:theslowdeathoftheuniversityasacenterof
humanecritique.Universities,whichinBritainhavean800yearhistory,havetraditionallybeen
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deridedasivorytowers,andtherewasalwayssometruthintheaccusation.Yetthedistancethey
establishedbetweenthemselvesandsocietyatlargecouldproveenablingaswellasdisabling,
allowingthemtoreflectonthevalues,goals,andinterestsofasocialordertoofreneticallyboundup
initsownshorttermpracticalpursuitstobecapableofmuchselfcriticism.Acrosstheglobe,that
criticaldistanceisnowbeingdiminishedalmosttonothing,astheinstitutionsthatproducedErasmus
andJohnMilton,EinsteinandMontyPython,capitulatetothehardfacedprioritiesofglobal
capitalism.
MuchofthiswillbefamiliartoanAmericanreadership.StanfordandMIT,afterall,providedthe
verymodelsoftheentrepreneurialuniversity.WhathasemergedinBritain,however,iswhatone
mightcallAmericanizationwithouttheaffluencetheaffluence,atleast,oftheAmericanprivate
educationalsector.
ThisisevenbecomingtrueatthosetraditionalfinishingschoolsfortheEnglishgentry,Oxfordand
Cambridge,whosecollegeshavealwaysbeeninsulatedtosomeextentagainstbroadereconomic
forcesbycenturiesoflavishendowments.Someyearsago,IresignedfromachairattheUniversityof
Oxford(aneventalmostasrareasanearthquakeinEdinburgh)whenIbecameawarethatIwas
expectedinsomerespectstobehavelessasascholarthanaCEO.
WhenIfirstcametoOxford30yearsearlier,anysuchprofessionalismwouldhavebeengreetedwith
patriciandisdain.ThoseofmycolleagueswhohadactuallybotheredtofinishtheirPh.D.swould
sometimesusethetitleof"Mr."ratherthan"Dr.,"since"Dr."suggestedadegreeofungentlemanly
labor.Publishingbookswasregardedasarathervulgarproject.Abriefarticleevery10yearsorsoon
thesyntaxofPortugueseorthedietaryhabitsofancientCarthagewasconsideredjustabout
permissible.Therehadbeenatimeearlierwhencollegetutorsmightnotevenhavebotheredto
arrangesettutorialtimesfortheirundergraduates.Instead,theundergraduatewouldsimplydrop
roundtotheirroomswhenthespiritmovedhimforaglassofsherryandacivilizedchataboutJane
Austenorthefunctionofthepancreas.
Today,Oxbridgeretainsmuchofitscollegialethos.Itisthedonswhodecidehowtoinvestthe
collegesmoney,whatflowerstoplantintheirgardens,whoseportraitstohangintheseniorcommon
room,andhowbesttoexplaintotheirstudentswhytheyspendmoreonthewinecellarthanonthe
collegelibrary.Allimportantdecisionsaremadebythefellowsofthecollegeinfullsession,and
everythingfromfinancialandacademicaffairstoroutineadministrationisconductedbyelected
committeesofacademicsresponsibletothebodyoffellowsasawhole.Inrecentyears,thisadmirable
systemofselfgovernmenthashadtoconfrontanumberofcentralizingchallengesfromthe
university,ofthekindthatledtomyownexitfromtheplacebutbyandlargeithasstoodfirm.
PreciselybecauseOxbridgecollegesareforthemostpartpremoderninstitutions,theyhavea
smallnessofscaleaboutthemthatcanserveasamodelofdecentralizeddemocracy,andthisdespite
theodiousprivilegestheycontinuetoenjoy.
ElsewhereinBritain,thesituationisfardifferent.Insteadofgovernmentbyacademicsthereisruleby
hierarchy,agooddealofByzantinebureaucracy,juniorprofessorswhoarelittlebutdogsbodies,and
vicechancellorswhobehaveasthoughtheyarerunningGeneralMotors.Seniorprofessorsarenow
seniormanagers,andtheairisthickwithtalkofauditingandaccountancy.Booksthose
troglodytic,drearilypretechnologicalphenomenaareincreasinglyfrownedupon.Atleastone
Britishuniversityhasrestrictedthenumberofbookshelvesprofessorsmayhaveintheirofficesin
ordertodiscourage"personallibraries."WastepaperbasketsarebecomingasrareasTeaParty
intellectuals,sincepaperisnowpass.
Philistineadministratorsplasterthecampuswithmindlesslogosandissuetheiredictsinbarbarous,
semiliterateprose.OneNorthernIrishvicechancellorcommandeeredtheonlypublicroomlefton
campus,acommonroomsharedbystaffandstudentsalike,foraprivatediningroominwhichhe
couldentertainlocalbigwigsandentrepreneurs.Whenthestudentsoccupiedtheroominprotest,he
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orderedhissecurityguardstosmashtheonlyrestroomneartohand.Britishvicechancellorshave
beendestroyingtheirownuniversitiesforyears,butrarelyasliterallyasthat.Onthesamecampus,
securitystaffmovestudentsoniftheyarefoundhangingaround.Theidealwouldbeauniversity
withoutthesedisheveled,unpredictablecreatures.
Inthemidstofthisdebacle,itisthehumanitiesaboveallthatarebeingpushedtothewall.The
Britishstatecontinuestodistributegrantstoitsuniversitiesforscience,medicine,engineering,and
thelike,butithasceasedtohandoutanysignificantresourcestothearts.Itisnotoutofthequestion
thatifthisdoesnotchange,wholehumanitiesdepartmentswillbecloseddowninthecomingyears.If
Englishdepartmentssurviveatall,itmaysimplybetoteachbusinessstudentstheuseofthe
semicolon,whichwasnotquitewhatNorthropFryeandLionelTrillinghadinmind.
Humanitiesdepartmentsmustnowsupportthemselvesmainlybythetuitionfeestheyreceivefrom
theirstudents,whichmeansthatsmallerinstitutionsthatrelyalmostentirelyonthissourceofincome
havebeeneffectivelyprivatizedthroughthebackdoor.Theprivateuniversity,whichBritainhas
rightlyresistedforsolong,iscreepingevercloser.YetthegovernmentofPrimeMinisterDavid
Cameronhasalsooverseenahugehikeintuitions,whichmeansthatstudents,dependentonloansand
encumberedwithdebt,areunderstandablydemandinghighstandardsofteachingandmorepersonal
treatmentinreturnfortheircashatjustthemomentwhenhumanitiesdepartmentsarebeingstarvedof
funds.
Besides,teachinghasbeenforsometimealessvitalbusinessinBritishuniversitiesthanresearch.It
isresearchthatbringsinthemoney,notcoursesonExpressionismortheReformation.Everyfew
years,theBritishstatecarriesoutathoroughinspectionofeveryuniversityintheland,measuringthe
researchoutputofeachdepartmentinpainstakingdetail.Itisonthisbasisthatgovernmentgrantsare
awarded.Therehasthusbeenlessincentiveforacademicstodevotethemselvestotheirteaching,and
plentyofreasonforthemtoproduceforproductionssake,churningoutsupremelypointlessarticles,
startingupsuperfluousjournalsonline,dutifullyapplyingforoutsideresearchgrantsregardlessof
whethertheyreallyneedthem,andpassingtheoddpleasanthourpaddingtheirCVs.
Inanycase,thevastincreaseinbureaucracyinBritishhighereducation,occasionedbytheflourishing
ofamanagerialideologyandtherelentlessdemandsofthestateassessmentexercise,meansthat
academicshavehadlittleenoughtimetopreparetheirteachingevenifitseemedworthdoing,which
forthepastseveralyearsithasnot.Pointsareawardedbythestateinspectorsforarticleswitha
bristlingthicketoffootnotes,butfewifanyforabestsellingtextbookaimedatstudentsandgeneral
readers.Academicsaremostlikelytoboosttheirinstitutionsstatusbytakingtemporaryleaveofit,
takingtimeofffromteachingtofurthertheirresearch.
Theywouldboostitsresourcesevenmoreweretheytoabandonacademealtogetherandjoinacircus,
hencesavingtheirfinancialmastersamuchgrudgedsalaryandallowingthebureaucratstospreadout
theirworkamonganalreadyoverburdenedprofessoriate.ManyacademicsinBritainareawareofjust
howpassionatelytheirinstitutionwouldlovetoseethebackofthem,apartfromafewhousehold
nameswhoareabletopullinplentyofcustomers.Thereis,infact,noshortageoflecturersseekingto
takeearlyretirement,giventhatBritishacademewasanagreeableplacetoworksomedecadesago
andisnowadeeplyunpleasantoneformanyofitsemployees.Inanadditionaltwistoftheknife,
however,theyarenowabouttohavetheirpensionscutaswell.
Asprofessorsaretransformedintomanagers,sostudentsareconvertedintoconsumers.Universities
falloveroneanotherinanundignifiedscrambletosecuretheirfees.Oncesuchcustomersaresafely
withinthegates,thereispressureontheirprofessorsnottofailthem,andthusrisklosingtheirfees.
Thegeneralideaisthatifthestudentfails,itistheprofessorsfault,ratherlikeahospitalinwhich
everydeathislaidatthedoorofthemedicalstaff.Oneresultofthishotpursuitofthestudentpurseis
thegrowthofcoursestailoredtowhateveriscurrentlyinfashionamong20yearolds.Inmyown
disciplineofEnglish,thatmeansvampiresratherthanVictorians,sexualityratherthanShelley,
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fanzinesratherthanFoucault,thecontemporaryworldratherthanthemedievalone.Itisthusthat
deepseatedpoliticalandeconomicforcescometoshapesyllabuses.AnyEnglishdepartmentthat
focuseditsenergiesonAngloSaxonliteratureorthe18thcenturywouldbecuttingitsownthroat.
Hungryfortheirfees,someBritishuniversitiesarenowallowingstudentswithundistinguished
undergraduatedegreestoproceedtograduatecourses,whileoverseasstudents(whoaregenerally
forcedtopaythroughthenose)mayfindthemselvesbeginningadoctorateinEnglishwithan
uncertaincommandofthelanguage.HavinglongdespisedcreativewritingasavulgarAmerican
pursuit,Englishdepartmentsarenowdesperatetohiresomeminornovelistorfailingpoetinorderto
attractthescribblinghordesofpotentialPynchons,rippingofftheirfeesinfull,cynicalknowledge
thatthechancesofgettingonesfirstnovelorvolumeofpoetrypastaLondonpublisherareprobably
lessthanthechancesofawakeningtodiscoverthatyouhavebeenturnedintoagiantbeetle.
Educationshouldindeedberesponsivetotheneedsofsociety.Butthisisnotthesameasregarding
yourselfasaservicestationforneocapitalism.Infact,youwouldtacklesocietysneedsagreatdeal
moreeffectivelywereyoutochallengethiswholealienatedmodeloflearning.Medievaluniversities
servedthewidersocietysuperblywell,buttheydidsobyproducingpastors,lawyers,theologians,
andadministrativeofficialswhohelpedtosustainchurchandstate,notbyfrowninguponanyformof
intellectualactivitythatmightfailtoturnaquickbuck.
Times,however,havechanged.AccordingtotheBritishstate,allpubliclyfundedacademicresearch
mustnowregarditselfaspartofthesocalledknowledgeeconomy,withameasurableimpacton
society.Suchimpactisrathereasiertogaugeforaeronauticalengineersthanancienthistorians.
Pharmacistsarelikelytodobetteratthisgamethanphenomenologists.Subjectsthatdonotattract
lucrativeresearchgrantsfromprivateindustry,orthatareunlikelytopullinlargenumbersof
students,areplungedintoastateofchroniccrisis.Academicmeritisequatedwithhowmuchmoney
youcanraise,whileaneducatedstudentisredefinedasanemployableone.Itisnotagoodtimetobe
apaleographerornumismatist,pursuitsthatwewillsoonnotevenbeabletospell,letalonepractice.
Theeffectsofthissideliningofthehumanitiescanbefeltallthewaydowntheeducationalsystemin
thesecondaryschools,wheremodernlanguagesareinprecipitousdecline,historyreallymeans
modernhistory,andtheteachingoftheclassicsislargelyconfinedtoprivateinstitutionssuchasEton
College.(ItisthusthattheoldEtonianBorisJohnson,themayorofLondon,regularlylardshispublic
declarationswithtagsfromHorace.)
Itistruethatphilosopherscouldalwayssetupmeaningoflifeclinicsonstreetcorners,ormodern
linguistsstationthemselvesatstrategicpublicplaceswhereaspotoftranslationmightberequired.In
general,theideaisthatuniversitiesmustjustifytheirexistencebyactingasancillariesto
entrepreneurship.Asonegovernmentreportchillinglyputit,theyshouldoperateas"consultancy
organisations."Infact,theythemselveshavebecomeprofitableindustries,runninghotels,concerts,
sportingevents,cateringfacilities,andsoon.
IfthehumanitiesinBritainarewitheringonthebranch,itislargelybecausetheyarebeingdrivenby
capitalistforceswhilebeingsimultaneouslystarvedofresources.(Britishhighereducationlacksthe
philanthropictraditionoftheUnitedStates,largelybecauseAmericahasagreatmanymore
millionairesthanBritain.)Wearealsospeakingofasocietyinwhich,unliketheUnitedStates,higher
educationhasnottraditionallybeentreatedasacommoditytobeboughtandsold.Indeed,itis
probablytheconvictionofthemajorityofcollegestudentsinBritaintodaythathighereducation
shouldbeprovidedfreeofcharge,asitisinScotlandandthoughthereisanobviousdegreeofself
interestinthisopinion,thereisafairamountofjusticeinitaswell.Educatingtheyoung,like
protectingthemfromserialkillers,shouldberegardedasasocialresponsibility,notasamatterof
profit.
Imyself,astherecipientofastatescholarship,spentsevenyearsasastudentatCambridgewithout
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payingabeanforit.Itistruethatasaresultofthisslavishrelianceonthestateatanimpressionable
ageIhavegrownspinelessanddemoralized,unabletostandonmyowntwofeetorprotectmyfamily
withashotgunifcalledupontodoso.Inacravenactofstatedependency,Ihaveevenbeenknownto
callupontheservicesofthelocalfiredepartmentfromtimetotime,ratherthanbeatouttheblaze
withmyownhornyhands.Iam,evenso,willingtotradeanyamountofvirileindependenceforseven
freeyearsatCambridge.
Itistruethatonlyabout5percentoftheBritishpopulationattendeduniversityinmyownstudent
days,andtherearethosewhoclaimthattoday,whenthatfigurehasrisentoaround50percent,such
liberalityofspiritisnolongeraffordable.YetGermany,tonameonlyoneexample,providesfree
educationtoitssizablestudentpopulation.ABritishgovernmentthatwasseriousaboutliftingthe
cripplingdebtfromtheshouldersoftheyoungergenerationcoulddosobyraisingtaxesonthe
obscenelyrichandrecoveringthebillionslosteachyearinevasion.
Itwouldalsoseektorestorethehonorablelineageoftheuniversityasoneofthefewarenasin
modernsociety(anotheristhearts)inwhichprevailingideologiescanbesubmittedtosomerigorous
scrutiny.Whatifthevalueofthehumanitiesliesnotinthewaytheyconformtosuchdominant
notions,butinthefactthattheydont?Thereisnovalueinintegrationassuch.Inpremoderntimes,
artistsweremorethoroughlyintegratedintosocietyatlargethantheyhavebeeninthemodernera,
butpartofwhatthatmeantwasthattheywerequiteoftenideologues,agentsofpoliticalpower,
mouthpiecesforthestatusquo.Themodernartist,bycontrast,hasnosuchsecurenicheinthesocial
order,butitispreciselyonthisaccountthatheorsherefusestotakeitspietiesforgranted.
Untilabettersystememerges,however,Imyselfhavedecidedtothrowinmylotwiththehardfaced
philistinesandcrasspurveyorsofutility.Somewhattomyshame,Ihavenowtakentoaskingmy
graduatestudentsatthebeginningofasessionwhethertheycanaffordmyveryfinestinsightsinto
literaryworks,orwhethertheywillhavetomakedowithsomeserviceablebutlessscintillating
comments.
Chargingbytheinsightisadistastefulaffair,andperhapsnotthemosteffectivewayofestablishing
amicablerelationswithonesstudentsbutitseemsalogicalconsequenceofthecurrentacademic
climate.Tothosewhocomplainthatthisistocreateinvidiousdistinctionsamongonesstudents,I
shouldpointoutthatthosewhoarenotabletohandovercashformymostperceptiveanalysesare
perfectlyfreetoengageinbarter.Freshlybakedpies,kegsofhomebrewedbeer,knittedsweaters,
andstout,handmadeshoes:Alltheseareeminentlyacceptable.Thereare,afterall,morethingsinlife
thanmoney.
TerryEagletonisadistinguishedvisitingprofessorofEnglishliteratureattheUniversityof
Lancaster.Heistheauthorofsome50books,includingHowtoReadLiterature(YaleUniversity
Press,2013).
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