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Conclusion: Stretching the Sociological Imagination in the Neo-Liberal Academy

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Stretching the Sociological Imagination

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Abstract

In this concluding chapter we return to the sociological imagination and consider the practical effects of changes in the role and status of sociology and how the discipline has been affected by the political economy of higher education. We look in turn at the marketisation of the academy, and at the threat these changes pose to job security and status. We turn next to the consequences of research assessment processes on the autonomy of academics, and on their ability to determine their own work patterns and topics. This is followed by a brief discussion of the challenges faced by those committed to teaching social theory in such conditions. Finally, we discuss the politics of the so-called ‘impact agenda’, suggesting that the space for the production of natural and scientific knowledge has also been damaged by the rise of policy-related institutions (think tanks) in civil society.

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Authors
  1. Matt Dawson
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  2. Bridget Fowler
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  3. David Miller
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  4. Andrew Smith
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Glasgow, UK

    Matt Dawson (Lecturer in Sociology), Bridget Fowler (Emeritus Professor) & Andrew Smith (Reader in Sociology) (Lecturer in Sociology),  (Emeritus Professor) &  (Reader in Sociology)

  2. University of Bath, UK

    David Miller (Professor of Sociology) (Professor of Sociology)

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© 2015 Matt Dawson, Bridget Fowler, David Miller and Andrew Smith

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Dawson, M., Fowler, B., Miller, D., Smith, A. (2015). Conclusion: Stretching the Sociological Imagination in the Neo-Liberal Academy. In: Dawson, M., Fowler, B., Miller, D., Smith, A. (eds) Stretching the Sociological Imagination. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137493644_13

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