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Tracing the shift from liberal to neoliberal education from the nineteenth century to the present day, this open access book provides a rich and previously underdeveloped narrative of value in higher education in England. Value and the Humanities draws upon historical, financial, and critical debates concerning educational and cultural policy. Rather than writing a singular defence of the humanities against economic rationalism, Zoe Hope Bulaitis constructs a nuanced map of the intersections of value in the humanities, encompassing an exploration of policy engagement, scientific discourses, fictional representation, and the humanities in public life. The book articulates a kaleidoscopic range of humanities practices which demonstrate that although recent policy encourages higher education to be entirely motivated by outcomes, fiscal targets, and the acquisition of employability skills, the humanities continue to inspire and aspire beyond these limits. This book is a historically-grounded and theoretically-informed analysis of the value of the humanities within the context of the market.
List of contents
!. Introduction.- 2. A History of Payment by Results: Lowe's Code (1862) and the Browne Report (2010).- 3: Controversy and Conversation: The Relationship Between the Humanities and the Sciences.- 4. The Relationship Between Academic Fiction and Academic Life.- 5. Impact and the Humanities: The Rise of Accountability in Public Cultural Life.- 6. Conclusion.
About the author
Zoe Hope Bulaitis is a literary scholar with expertise in cultural and higher education policy. She is a researcher in the Creative Industries: Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) within the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures at the University of Manchester, UK. She holds a PhD from the University of Exeter where she previously taught literature and critical theory within the English Department.
Report
"Bulaitis's analysis of the values conveyed both in higher education speech and policies provides a useful study of how they are perceived, imagined, and put into practice within the British neoliberal context. ... Bulaitis has articulated very convincing academic arguments to explain the shift from liberal to neoliberal university values and debates. This book offers accurate, clear, and meaningful food for thought for those interested in the study of the processes of 'marketisation' and 'economisation' of higher education." (Catherine Coron, Journal of British Studies, Vol. 60 (4), October, 2021)
