Imagining the University (New Studies in Critical Realism and Education

by Ronald Barnett

Around the world, what it is to be a university is a matter of much debate. The range of ideas of the university in public circulation is, however, exceedingly narrow and is dominated by the idea of the entrepreneurial university. As a consequence, the debate is hopelessly impoverished. Lurking in the literature, there is a broad and even imaginative array of ideas of the university, but those ideas are seldom heard. We need, consequently, not just more ideas of the university but better ideas. Imagining the University forensically examines this situation, critically interrogating many of the current ideas of the university. Imagining the University argues for imaginative ideas that are critical, sensitive to the deep structures underlying universities and are yet optimistic, in short feasible utopias of the university. The case is pressed for one such idea, that of the ecological university. The book concludes by offering a vision of the imagining university, a university that has the capacity continually to re-imagine itself.

Genres: Education

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Bryan Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thoughtful and inspiring book, exploring ways of opening up our thinking about higher education.

It's not a work of history or sociology, however. Instead Barnett explores theory and philosophy of imagination, bringing it to bear on the academy. So the book begins by surveying some ideas about the imagination, then sets up a structure for understanding our visions of the academy.

Actually, several structures. There's a three-dimensional model for these ideas, including axes of optimism-pessimism, depth-surface, and critical-endorsing (55-62). There are impressive lists of alternative university names. This leads to some chapters on the dystopian university (cf the work of Audrey Watters) and a utopian university (David Staley). On offer is an "ecological university," which is less green than open and flexible.

For those thinking about higher education, four stars for the book's clarity and inspiration.