Futures of the University

Futures of the University is a research seminar in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies that takes the university (both as concept and institution) as the historical and political object of its inquiry.

Its animating thesis is that the university has, with the advent of neoliberalism and its drive toward both privatisation and measurement, entered a new and precarious moment in a history dating, in the West, back to the Medieval period. Reflecting upon this moment from within, the contemporary university has acquired a fresh urgency and Futures of the University, through an array of lectures, workshops and seminars, has taken the lead in responding to this urgency.

The seminar was inaugurated in the Spring of 2016 with a lecture by Professor Thomas Docherty — What Is the University For? — served as the touchstone for both his lecture and a day long workshop. For details of current and past activities, see the School events pages.

Academic team

Professor Catherine Karkov
Professor David Jackson
Professor John Mowitt

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