Towards a New Research Era: A Global Comparison of Research Distortions

Description

The book is focused on distorted research and university education in recent decades, and on alternatives for a new research era. It deals with the critique, explanation and normativity of bureaucratically, commercially and ideologically shaped humanities and social sciences. The authors analyse it in a ground-breaking way, putting the West in a global comparison with the non-Western world. Particularly, they pay special attention to Central Europe and the major countries and macro-regions: Latin America, China, Russia, Africa and India. This is an illuminating book for readers interested in philosophy, sociology, global studies, education studies and related disciplines. Front Cover Half Title Series Information Title Page Copyright Page Contents Notes on Contributors Introduction: From Research Distortions to a New Research Era in Global Interactions Acknowledgement References Part 1 Theoretical and Practical Foundations: Public Research and Its Distortions Chapter 1 The Imperative of Creativity 1 Introduction 2 The Storm of Change 3 Knowledge Society or Academic Capitalism? 4 Instrumentalization of Academia and Consequences for Academics and Their Work 5 Conclusion References Chapter 2 Research Change within Social Change 1 From Internal and External Critique to Trichotomic Methodology 2 Institutional Preconditions of Research 3 Conclusion References Chapter 3 Values and Evaluation: Co-evolution of Science and Society 1 The Evolution of Science Policy 2 New Public Management 3 The Science–Society Interface: New Issues and Challenges References Chapter 4 Research in Neoliberal Transformation 1 Introduction 2 The Key to Understanding Social Change: Global Context of Transnational Capitalism, Knowledge and Risk 3 Research of Dynamic Societal Complexity Can Show How Social and Environmental Consequences Follow Crisis Transformations 4 Generalised Precarisation 5 Environmental Challenges and Their Translations References Chapter 5 Freedom (Not Only) in Research and the Academic Context 1 Introduction 2 Historical Development of Academic Freedom 3 Various Aspects of Academic Freedom 4 Conclusion References Chapter 6 The Problems of Research in the Project Era 1 Intellectual Freedom and Academic Freedom 2 What Comes after the Project Era? 3 Wisdom and the Fight for Acknowledgement 4 Neoliberalism – a Type of Political Rationality 5 An Attack on Words 6 Salvation Comes with Committees: Ominous Perspectives Acknowledgement References Part 2 Research and Education in Central Europe and in the West Chapter 7 Risks and Opportunities of the Politics of Performance and Evaluation in Academic Culture 1 Unintended Consequences of the Culture of Surveillance 2 The Risks of Imitating Intellectual Work References Chapter 8 Politics, Higher and Adult Education, and the Power of Research 1 Introduction 2 Neoliberal Education Policy and Other Public Policies 3 Contradictory Forms of the Research–Education Policy Relationship 4 Normative Proposals of Critical Education Research with Respect to Education Policy 5 Instead of a Conclusion References Chapter 9 World Research Produced Here and Now: the Czech Case Study References Chapter 10 The Relevance of Humanities in Masaryk’s System of Sciences 1 Introduction: Masaryk’s Programme of Humanity and Democracy 2 The Place of Humanities in Masaryk’s System of Sciences 3 Masaryk’s Lectures in Practical Philosophy 4 The Influence of Positivist Philosophy 5 Conclusion Acknowledgement References Part 3 Research and Education in the Non-Western World Chapter 11 Social Sciences in Interactions with Latin American Reality 1 Introduction 2 Current Forms of Academic Activity in Latin America 3 Historical and Philosophical Specificities of the Social Sciences in Latin America 4 Visions, Alternatives and Prospects 5 Conclusion Acknowledgement References Chapter 12 The Marginalization of African Epistemologies 1 Introduction 2 Exploring the Knowledge Production Background 2.1 The Predominance of the Western Knowledge’s Production Paradigm 2.2 The Colonial Library’s Vestiges 3 The African Reluctance 3.1 The African Resistance or Irrational Behaviour? 3.2 We Are Not Your Guinea Pigs 4 Concluding Remarks References Chapter 13 Neoliberalised Research in Contemporary Russia 1 Putin’s Russia and Its Modernising Dilemmas 2 Project 5–100 3 Concluding Remarks References Chapter 14 Neoliberal Distortions of Higher Education and Research in India 1 Introduction 2 The Problem 3 Global Education Market 4 World Trade Organization and Education 5 The Indian Scenario 6 India and the GATS 7 The Mirage of FDI and Privatisation 8 New Education Policy 2020 9 Conclusion Appendix Key Supreme Court Judgments on Fees in Private Institutions References Chapter 15 The New Research Assessment Reform in China and Its Implementation 1 Introduction 2 The Background for the New Policy 3 Farewell to “SCI Worship” 4 From Metrics to Peer Review 5 Local Relevance 6 Conclusion References Index Back Cover