The Neoliberal University – What is to be Done?

The Neoliberal University – What is to be Done?

The modern university is in crisis and a site of contestation. Ranging from the impacts of neoliberal policies on higher education and the multiple problems of 'academic capitalism', to the rights of staff and students to engage in political activism, the 'neoliberal university' as a centre of learning and knowledge is increasingly being challenged. This challenge comes from within the university - staff and students concerned about how universities are run, pay and conditions and the inconsistent or negative attitude of university management to political activism. University management’s response to the on-going genocide in Gaza and reaction to campus-based solidarity campaigns for Palestinian emancipation provide a striking contemporary case. From outside the university, there are growing calls that ask the question: the climate is changing, why aren't universities? In the face of the worsening planetary crisis, why are universities largely responding in a 'business as usual manner'? These are among the issues to be considered in this symposium organised by the Centre for Sustainability, Equality and Climate Action and the Research in Ireland for Transformation (RIFT) collective.

Free and open to all.

Location: Room 1 005, 21 University Square, Belfast

Host or Publisher John Barry