Dark Academia: Despair in the Neoliberal University
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- Create Date：2021-06-18 06:51:21
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Peter Fleming
- ISBN：0745341063
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Summary
There is a significant link between the neoliberalisation of higher education over the last 20 years and the psychological hell now endured by its members。 While academia was once thought of as the best job in the world - one that fosters autonomy， craft， intrinsic job satisfaction and vocational zeal - you would be hard-pressed to find a lecturer today who believes that now。 Peter Fleming delves into this new metrics-obsessed， overly hierarchical world to bring out the unspoken， private and emotional underbelly of the neoliberal university。 He examines commercialisation， mental illness and self-harm， the rise of managerialism， students as consumers and evaluators， and the competitive individualism which casts a dark sheen of alienation over departments。 Arguing that time has almost run out to reverse this decline， this book shows how academics need to act now if they are to begin to fix this broken system。
Reviews
Mike Witcombe
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An illuminating and righteously angry polemic。 Fleming covers an impressive amount of ground， tracking how changes in university governance have altered the experience of those who work or study in them。 "Dark Academia" focuses on Western universities， with most of its supporting examples coming from American， Australian， and British universities。 It's a fairly quick read， and I found it a mostly persuasive one。Unlike some his （many） fellow university polemicists， whose view of the university ca An illuminating and righteously angry polemic。 Fleming covers an impressive amount of ground， tracking how changes in university governance have altered the experience of those who work or study in them。 "Dark Academia" focuses on Western universities， with most of its supporting examples coming from American， Australian， and British universities。 It's a fairly quick read， and I found it a mostly persuasive one。Unlike some his （many） fellow university polemicists， whose view of the university can tend to instrumentalise professional services staff and students， Fleming is keen to assert how damage is done across the university as an institution。 Moreover， a keen sense of the limits of agency motivates many of his arguments。 His focus is not just about what those within universities should do， but what they can do within the oppressive structures they've come to work within。As the title gives away， "Dark Academia" not the most hopeful of reads。 For those wanting light at the end of the tunnel， Raewyn Connell's "The Good University" is equally sceptical of the direction universities have taken， but has a considerably more optimistic view of what the future could hold。 Still， few of those who read this book will find much new in it that will surprise them。 Part of Fleming's argument is that certain ideologies and mechanisms surround universities so completely that those of us in them have to respond in one way or another。 As he points out， the aftermath of COVID-19 could make things considerably more complicated。None of this is to say that this is a dour read。 Fleming is one of the most entertaining writers on the contemporary university that I've read， and there are passages in this book which are laugh-out-loud funny （honestly！）。 Fleming incorporates complex ideas from a wide range of disciplines， while keeping the more casual reader firmly on side。The major issues with "Dark Academia" aren't Fleming's fault。 The book's copy-editing leaves something to be desired， with numerous spelling mistakes and a cavalier attitude to commas visible throughout。 Sure， it's not the biggest problem in the world - it just sits oddly amid Fleming's eloquent， passionate， and rambunctious prose。 Talking of rambunctious prose， a more cautious editor might also have removed Fleming's references to Stalin and Hitler when discussing university management， which feel a bit silly （even allowing for a certain amount of polemical hyperbole）。"Dark Academia" will find a sympathetic audience among academics， but I hope it'll find receptive ears within the broader university community - and with all of those who want to know what it's like to be part of a modern university。 。。。more
Thomas Kingston
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Things don't look good for higher education。Whether in the US， UK or elsewhere， a cycle of marketisation is wearing down professors and students。 Fleming is a long term critic of managerialism and neoliberalisation so it's no surprise that as an established academic he's unhappy with their role in the education sector。Through a combination of anecdotes （that range from humourous middle fingers to the establishment to shocking accounts of suicide） and a masterful command of research papers on top Things don't look good for higher education。Whether in the US， UK or elsewhere， a cycle of marketisation is wearing down professors and students。 Fleming is a long term critic of managerialism and neoliberalisation so it's no surprise that as an established academic he's unhappy with their role in the education sector。Through a combination of anecdotes （that range from humourous middle fingers to the establishment to shocking accounts of suicide） and a masterful command of research papers on topics that range from economic theory to academic metrics he offers a scathing critique and a damning indictment of a sector that is crumbling。It's a depressing read that hits home， especially in the context of COVID and the 'culture wars' but it's also a timely and much needed wake-up call for those who still hold knowledge & learning dear。 。。。more
Jane
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