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Academic freedom in a democratic South Africa : essays and interviews on higher education and the humanities / John Higgins.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Higgins, John, 1954- author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Academic freedom--South Africa.
- Academic freedom.
- Academic freedom--Political aspects--South Africa.
- Critical thinking--Study and teaching (Higher)--South Africa.
- Critical thinking.
- Humanities--South Africa.
- Humanities.
- Humanities--Study and teaching (Higher)--South Africa.
- Education, Higher--South Africa.
- Education, Higher.
- Humanities--Study and teaching (Higher).
- Critical thinking--Study and teaching (Higher).
- South Africa.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource
- polychrome
- Place of Publication:
- Lanham, Maryland : Bucknell University Press, 2014.
- System Details:
- text file
- Summary:
- How do we understand academic freedom today? Does it still have relevance in a global reconfiguring of higher education in the interests of the economy, rather than the public good? And, locally, is academic freedom no more than an inconvenient ideal, paid lip service in South Africa's constitution as an individual right, but neglected in institutional practice? Academic Freedom in a Democratic South Africa: Essays and Interviews on Higher Education and the Humanities argues that the core content of academic freedom-the principle of supporting and extending open intellectual inquiry-is essential to realizing the full public value of higher education. John Higgins emphasizes the central role that the humanities, and the particular forms of argument and analysis they embody, bring to this task. Each chapter embodies the particular force of a critical literacy in action, one which brings into play the combined force of historical inquiry, theoretical analysis, and precise attention to the textual dynamics of all statements so as to challenge and confront the received ideas of the day. These provocative analyses are complemented by probing interviews with three key figures from the critical humanities: Terry Eagleton, who discusses the deforming effects of managerialism in British universities; Edward W. Said, who argues for increased recognition of the democratizing force of the humanities; and Jakes Gerwel, who presents some of the most recent challenges for the realization of a humanist politics in South Africa. Book jacket.
- Contents:
- Part 1 Essays
- 1 The Scholar-Warrior versus the children of Mao: Conor Cruise O'Brien in South Africa 11
- 2 Academic freedom in the New South Africa 43
- 3 'It's literacy, stupid!' Declining the humanities in NRF research policy 77
- 4 Institutional culture as keyword 99
- 5 Making the case for the humanities 141
- Part 2 Interviews
- 6 'A grim parody of the humanities' / Terry Eagleton Eagleton, Terry 193
- 7 Criticism and democracy / Edward W Said Said, Edward W 209
- 8 'Living out our differences' / Jakes Gerwel Gerwel, Jakes 227.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Electronic reproduction. Palo Alto, Calif. Available via World Wide Web.
- Description based on print version record.
- Local Notes:
- Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the James Hosmer Penniman Book Fund.
- Other Format:
- Print version: Higgins, John. Academic freedom in a democratic south africa
- ISBN:
- 9781611485998
- 1611485991
- Publisher Number:
- 99960456997
- Access Restriction:
- Restricted for use by site license.
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