Rajani Naidoo

Fields and institutional strategy: Bourdieu on the relationship between higher education, inequality and society

This paper takes as its focus the concept of ‘field’, which has received relatively less attention than Bourdieus other concepts such as ‘cultural capital’ and ‘habitus’ in the sociology of education. The development of the concept is outlined to present Bourdieus understanding of higher education as a field consisting of cognitive and structural mechanisms that mediate sociopolitical and economic forces while simultaneously reproducing fundamental principles of social stratification. As an illustration of its widespread application, Bourdieus framework is applied to develop an analytical understanding of institutional strategies developed by South African universities during a period of political instability. Drawing insights from the South African case study and Bourdieus empirical research, the article concludes that Bourdieus theory may be seen to have transcended more simplistic conceptions of universities as closed systems detached from the sociopolitical complex or as mere reflections of external power relations. However, the strict relational nature of Bourdieus framework and his concept of the ‘arbitrary’ have placed limits on the extent to which his theory can offer a more in‐depth account of the relationship between higher education and society.This paper takes as its focus the concept of ‘field’, which has received relatively less attention than Bourdieus other concepts such as ‘cultural capital’ and ‘habitus’ in the sociology of education. The development of the concept is outlined to present Bourdieus understanding of higher education as a field consisting of cognitive and structural mechanisms that mediate sociopolitical and economic forces while simultaneously reproducing fundamental principles of social stratification. As an illustration of its widespread application, Bourdieus framework is applied to develop an analytical understanding of institutional strategies developed by South African universities during a period of political instability. Drawing insights from the South African case study and Bourdieus empirical research, the article concludes that Bourdieus theory may be seen to have transcended more simplistic conceptions of universities as closed systems detached from the sociopolitical complex or as mere reflections of exter...

The consumerist turn in higher education: Policy aspirations and outcomes

Abstract Insights from the marketing and education literature are combined to analyse government rationales and mechanisms related to the positioning of contemporary students as consumers and to assess the impact on the process and outcomes of education, on the professional practices of faculty and on widening participation. Pierre Bourdieus conceptual framework is applied to analyse how consumer mechanisms are mediated by the organisational cultures and practices within universities. These theoretical insights are combined with data from different national contexts to indicate positive outcomes. However, the organisational context of higher education, gamesmanship and outdated marketing relations have also led to the opposite of what policy makers have aspired to. We show how consumerism also promotes passive learning, threatens academic standards, and entrenches academic privilege. The paper contributes to scholarship on consumerism in sectors which are subject to changing relations between state regulation and market forces, and offers policy and management insights.

The neoliberal regime in English higher education: charters, consumers and the erosion of the public good

The restructuring of higher education (HE) according to neoliberal market principles has constructed the student consumer as a social category, thereby altering the nature, purpose and values of HE. In England, a key government attempt to champion the rights of the student consumer has taken the form of institutional charters which indicate the level of services students can expect to receive and what they will be expected to do in return. Pierre Bourdieu’s conceptual framework is applied to analyse the dynamics of practice in the context of the intensification of marketisation in English universities. The impact on student identities and learning processes, on the curriculum and on the academic practices of faculty is explored. By studying the production of institutional information related to charters, a particular image of the ‘good’ student is promoted to prospective students, which simultaneously regulates current student expectations. We argue that the marketisation of learning may result in passive and instrumental learners, a reduction in the range of disciplinary knowledge and a deterrence of innovation in teaching practices, all of which impact on the public good functions of universities.

The competition fetish in higher education: varieties, animators and consequences

Universities worldwide are trapped in a competition fetish. Transformations in higher education are concerned with the ‘master economic imaginary’ of the knowledge economy, a hegemonic discourse inextricably linked to the idea of global competition that frames political, economic and intellectual strategies and affects a wide range of institutional fields (Jessop, Fairclough, and Wodak 2008). The intensification of the struggle for positional advantage in the global economy, the enhanced global mobility of corporate research and development and the demand for highly skilled knowledge workers have contributed to a fierce competition within and between national systems of higher education. Drawing on insights from anthropology and political economy, the term fetish is deployed in this special issue to describe an irrational belief in magical powers which are invested in an object to protect from harm or to make wishes come true (see, for example, Pietz 1985). The political economy insights of the fetishisation of commodities develops this understanding further by pointing to how value is socially constructed and the veiling of the underlying exploitative relations of production which transform relations between people into objectified connections between things (see, for example, Baudrillard 1970). Borrowing from these meanings, higher education can be seen to be caught up in a kind of magical thinking which fetishes competition. There appears to be a modern-day magical belief that competition in higher education will provide the solution to all the unsolved problems of higher education (Naidoo 2011a). Competition is perceived as an independent force that is viewed as a ‘natural’ phenomenon which appears of its own accord. The invisible hand of competition appears to provide the means by which no-one is responsible at the same time as veiling social processes and negative consequences. This special issue draws on a range of theoretical resources and traverses a range of empirical sites and levels of analysis to offer an exposition of the varieties of competition in higher education. In keeping with the fetish metaphor, I use the term animator to refer to that which breathes life into the competition fetish. The articles also draw out the material, social and psychological animators and channels of competition and the consequences

Leadership and branding in business schools: a Bourdieusian analysis

This paper explores the growth of corporate branding in higher education (HE) and its use by academic and professional managers as a mechanism for not only enhancing institutional reputation but also for facilitating internal culture change. It uses Bourdieus framework of field, capital and habitus to analyse case studies of branding in two English business schools from the perspectives of academics, management and professional staff and students. The findings reveal a number of tensions and inconsistencies between the experiences of these groups that highlight the contested nature of branding in HE. In an era of rankings, metrics and student fees, it is suggested that branding has become an important means through which HE leaders and managers (re)negotiate the perceived value of different forms of capital and their relative positions within the field. Whilst branding operates at a largely ideological level it has a material effect on the allocation of power and resources within institutions. This is an important development in a sector that has typically privileged scientific capital and contributes towards an understanding of the ways in which leadership is ‘distributed’ within universities.

Building or Eroding Intellectual Capital? Student Consumerism as a Cultural Force in the Context of Knowledge Economy

Public rationales for a wide variety of government interventions in higher education have been linked to the integration of national economies and other political and cultural changes associated with globalisation and the emergence of the knowledge-driven economy. This new economy signals a trend away from material production and manual work in developed countries. Instead, the states ability to compete successfully in the global context is now seen to rely on the production of higher value-added products and services, which are in turn dependent on knowledge, especially scientific and technological knowledge, and on continuos innovation (see for example, Castells 2001). Notwithstanding the cautionary caveats raised in relation to the direct links made by policy makers between the upgrading of skills and economic prosperity, intellectual capital continues to be portrayed in government policy as one of the most important determiners of economic success and as a crucial resource in the scramble for global profits. In this context of knowledgedriven capitalism, higher education has been positioned as a major and indispensable contributor to the transition to a high skills economy and one of the main institutional sites for the production, dissemination and transfer of knowledge, innovation and technology. The perceived relationship between higher education and national economic advantage has led to increased government attempts to develop policy frameworks to regulate and harness higher education more directly to national skills formation strategies.

The Globalization of Higher Education

This comprehensive book provides a collection of the critical papers that have been published in the fast-growing field of the globalization of higher education. They include work by a variety of noted scholars, such as Altbach, Clark and Marginson, which cover key areas of theoretical and substantive interest. This volume, along with an original introduction, will be of relevance to academics, researchers and students undertaking higher education research, as well as to the wider social science and public policy communities.

Constructing a national higher education brand for the UK: positional competition and promised capitals

This article examines national branding of UK higher education, a strategic intent and action to collectively brand UK higher education with the aim to attract prospective international students, using a Bourdieusian approach to understanding promises of capitals. We trace its development between 1999 and 2014 through a sociological study, one of the first of its kind, from the ‘Education UK’ and subsumed under the broader ‘Britain is GREAT’ campaign of the Coalition Government. The findings reveal how a national higher education brand is construed by connecting particular representations of the nation with those of prospective international students and the higher education sector, which combine in the brand with promises of capitals to convert into positional advantage in a competitive environment. The conceptual framework proposed here seeks to connect national higher education branding to the concept of the competitive state, branded as a nation and committed to the knowledge economy.

From academic profession to higher education workforce:academic careers in the U. K.

This chapter focuses on the growing differentiation of institutional types, functions and roles of the academic profession. It reports on changing external relationships between universities and other social institutions and considers the implications of these changes for the roles and careers of the academic profession. More specifically, this includes changes in identities and in power distribution, shifts from ‘collegial’ to ‘competitive’ relationships between staff, new roles and divisions of labour, greater ‘boundary’ crossing – between both institutions and academic subjects and new forms of insecurity.

Students as consumers:commodifying or democratising learning

AbstractThe positioning of students as ‘consumers’ of education is becoming a global phenomenon. This paper begins by drawing on insights from both the marketing and education literatures to assess the impact of this development on the processes and outcomes of education, on the professional practices of faculty and on widening participation. Pierre Bourdieu’s conceptual framework is then applied to analyse how consumer mechanisms are mediated by the organisational cultures and practices within universities. These theoretical insights are combined with data from different national contexts to identify both positive and negative aspects of this trend. The paper goes on to consider the critique of consumerism as something that promotes commodification and passive learning. Some other ways of empowering students more actively in their learning, including ‘student voice’ and ‘co-production’ initiatives that are currently fashionable in Western policy contexts, are then discussed. While these are seen by some commentators as examples of ‘pre-figurative democratic practice’, others have identified them as having the potential to alienate students through tokenistic provision or as serving a neo-liberal policy agenda through the ‘responsibilisation’ of students. The paper concludes by suggesting that such initiatives may have the potential to challenge academic complacency without undermining core academic values.