Performativity, Commodification and Commitment: An I-Spy Guide to the Neoliberal University
Abstract
Reflection is a dangerous thing; it is all too easy to slip from careful re-assessment and analysis into nostalgia and ‘golden ageism’, although in a period of austerity that slippage might be very...
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Academics have been corporately colonised, with neoliberalism getting into their minds and souls.
“Academics, it is argued, have been corporately colonised (Casey, 1995), with neoliberalism getting 'into our minds and our souls' (Ball, 2012).”
From The academic as consumed and consumer (2020) · cites this paper as Ball, 2012
The intensity of marketisation has profoundly affected the nature of academic work and scholars themselves, recreating academics as commodities to be weighed and measured, becoming corporatised, alienated and inauthentic in their practice.
“The intensity of marketisation is argued to have profoundly affected the nature of academic work and scholars themselves, recreating academics as commodities to be weighed and measured, becoming corporatised, alienated and inauthentic in their practice.”
From The academic as consumed and consumer (2020) · cites this paper as Ball, 2012
The consumerist turn has had a profound effect on the nature of academic work and upon academics themselves.
“The result of the consumerist turn has, it is argued, had a profound effect on the nature of academic work and upon academics themselves.”
From The academic as consumed and consumer (2020) · cites this paper as Ball (2012, p18)
Cites
Butler, J. (2004) · doi:10.4324/9780203499627 · Cited by 5,556 · see citing works
The age of responsibilization: on market-embedded morality
Shamir, R. (2008) · Economy and Society · doi:10.1080/03085140701760833 · Cited by 1,025 · see citing works
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Speeding up to keep up: exploring the use of AI in the research process
Chubb, J., Cowling, P., & Reed, D. (2022) · AI & SOCIETY · doi:10.1007/s00146-021-01259-0 · Cited by 218 · see citing works
The academic as consumed and consumer
Page, D. (2020) · Journal of Education Policy · doi:10.1080/02680939.2019.1598585 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
- Authors
- Ball, S. J.
- Affiliations
- University of London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Ball, Stephen J.
- ORCID
- Ball, Stephen J.
- Venue
- British Journal of Educational Studies
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2012-03
- Volume
- 60
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 17-28
- ISSN
- 0007-1005 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-8527
- OpenAlex
- W2008508160
- Cited by
- 793
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 55 · 2025: 49 · 2024: 46 · 2023: 46 · 2022: 70 · 2021: 78 · 2020: 104 · 2019: 64 · 2018: 72 · 2017: 71 · 2016: 50 · 2015: 47 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 135.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- British Journal of Educational Studies (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › University Challenges and Reforms
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Higher Education Governance and Development
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Foucault, Power, and Ethics
- Keywords
- neoliberalism, higher education, performativity, commodification, commitment, austerity, nostalgia, university reform
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