Knowledge, Democracy and Higher Education

Abstract

In the previous chapter I have focused on the role of Higher Education in the promotion of citizenship, particularly through the lens of European citizenship. In this chapter I look once more at Higher Education, but now in more general terms, asking the question how Higher Education as a specific institution in society might contribute to democratisation and democratic citizenship. I am interested, in other words, in how we might understand the civic role and responsibility of Higher Education. Whereas in many countries around the world there is a strong emphasis on the potential contribution of Higher Education to the so-called knowledge economy, I introduce the idea of the ‘knowledge democracy’ in order to highlight the potential contribution of Higher Education to the democratisation of knowledge in society.