Culture and the University: Education, Ecology, Design - Hardcover

by Ronald Barnett (Author), Søren S. E. Bengtsen (Author), Rikke Toft Nørgård (Author)

Not long ago, it was understood that universities and culture were intimately related. However, to a large extent, that understanding has faded. Culture and the University confronts this situation. Written by three leading scholars of higher education and the philosophy of higher education, the book opens the debate about the cultural purpose of universities and higher education. The authors argue that the university should be and can be an institution of culture, of great cultural significance in the digital age, and exercise cultural leadership in society. This wide-ranging and polemic text addresses a range of subjects including environmentalism, citizenship, post-truth, the ethical implications of technology and feminist philosophy. The authors build on the work of key philosophers of the university from Aristotle, Nietzsche and Heidegger to Donna Haraway, Terry Eagleton and Martha C. Nussbaum to conceive of an entirely modern vision of the university. This is a must-read for anyone with an interest in the future of higher education and the university.

Author Biography

Ronald Barnett is Emeritus Professor of Higher Education at the UCL Institute of Education, University College London, UK. He is the President and a co-founder of the Philosophy and Theory of Higher Education Society.