Understanding the Position of Students at a Neoliberal Form of University
Keywords:
neoliberalism, university, position of students, human capital, entrepreneur, competitionAbstract
The article focuses on the mostly overlooked engagement of students at university - the majority, who does not only accept the neoliberal transformation of universities, but also implement and preserve it, thus becoming a key component of the new form. Our study aims to establish what the mechanisms for the specific part of students’ engagement at a neoliberal form of university are, and what causes a disappointing response to it. We emphasized and explained the following three interconnected and intertwined elements: the prevailing paradigm about education and schooling as the most important investment in human capital, the image of a student as an entrepreneur, and the competitive imperative. At this point, based on some reflective thinking about the current historical position of a student being active, not passive, questioning of the students’ resistance against the neoliberal form of university, reappears again.
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