Universities and the Occult Rituals of the Corporate World

Higher Education and Metaphorical Parallels with Myth and Magic
1. Auflage 2020
ISBN: 978-0-367-46383-0
Verlag: Routledge

Buch, Englisch, 228 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 354 g

Reihe: Routledge Research in Higher Education

Universities and the Occult Rituals of the Corporate World explores the metaphorical parallels between corporatised, market-oriented universities and aspects of the occult. In the process, the book shows that the forms of mystery, mythmaking and ritual now common in restructured institutions of higher education stem from their new power structures and procedures, and the economic and sociopolitical factors that have generated them.

Wood argues that universities have acquired occult aspects, as the beliefs and practices underpinning present-day market-driven academic discourse and practice weave spells of corporate potency, invoking the bewildering magic of the market and the arcane mysteries of capitalism, thriving on equivocation and evasion. Making particular reference to South African universities, the book demonstrates the ways in which apparently rational features of contemporary Western and westernised societies have acquired occult aspects. It also includes discussion of higher education institutions in other countries where neoliberal economic agendas are influential, such as the UK, the USA, the Eurozone states and Australia.

Providing a unique and thought-provoking look at the impact of the marketisation of Higher Education, this book will be essential reading for academics, researchers and postgraduate students engaged in the study of higher education, educational policy and neoliberalism. It should also be of great interest to academics in the fields of anthropology, folklore and cultural studies, as well as business, economics and management.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate and Professional

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wood, Felicity

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Schulen, Schulleitung Universitäten, Hochschulen
• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Pädagogik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction

2. The Magic of the Market

3. Setting the Scene

4. Corporate Simulacra

5. A Climate of Fear

6. Rituals, Talismans and Templates

7. Performance and Ritual

8. Kinship, Collegiality and Witchcraft

9. Secrecy, Publicity, Confusion and Power

10. The Zombies of Corporate Academia

11. Sacrifices and Suffering

12. Smoke and Mirrors and Wind Money

13. Conclusion: Breaking the Spell

Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Felicity Wood is employed by the University of Fort Hare, South Africa. Her area of research interest is the way contemporary western and westernised societies partake in aspects of mystery, ritual and magic, especially in economic and socio-political contexts and the present-day workplace.