Neoliberal Individualism in Dutch Universities: Teaching and Learning Anthropology in an Insecure Environment

Autor/inn/en	Bal, Ellen; Grassiani, Erella; Kirk, Kate
Titel	Neoliberal Individualism in Dutch Universities: Teaching and Learning Anthropology in an Insecure Environment
Quelle	In: Learning and Teaching: The International Journal of Higher Education in the Social Sciences, 7 (2014) 3, S.46-72 (27 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1755-2273
DOI	10.3167/latiss.2014.070303
Schlagwörter	Neoliberalism; Anthropology; Foreign Countries; Core Curriculum; Liberal Arts; Interviews; Mental Health; Mental Disorders; Individualism; Work Environment; Educational Environment; Competition; Collegiality; Educational Quality; Power Structure; Social Structure; Cultural Influences; Educational Change; College Faculty; Teacher Attitudes; Universities; Netherlands + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Neo-liberalism; Neoliberalismus; Anthropologie; Ausland; Kerncurriculum; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Psychohygiene; Mental illness; Geisteskrankheit; Individualismus; Arbeitsmilieu; Lernumgebung; Pädagogische Umwelt; Schulumwelt; Wettkampf; Kollegialität; Quality of education; Bildungsqualität; Sozialstruktur; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss; Bildungsreform; Fakultät; Lehrerverhalten; University; Universität; Niederlande
Abstract	This article is based on our own experiences and that of several of our colleagues teaching social and cultural anthropology in different Dutch institutions for higher learning. We focus in particular on teaching and learning in two small liberal arts and science (LAS) colleges, where anthropology makes up part of the social science curriculum and/or is part of the core curriculum. The data collected from our own critical reflections developed during informal discussion and from formal interviews with colleagues, together with literature on recent changes in academia, leads us to argue that neoliberal individualism, shaped by management tactics that constantly measure individual performance and output, is making academia an increasingly insecure place in which to work and study. The consequences of this insecurity include increasing mental health problems among both students and staff, intensifying competition at the expense of collegiality and collaboration and an overall decrease in the quality of academic jobs and teaching. Although the discipline of anthropology can help us better understand our own conditions, the personalisation of problems and the focus on success obscure the anthropological lens, which looks at social and cultural structures of power and depends on critical reflexivity. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10