The Idea of the University: Histories and Contexts

What is this ‘idea’ of the university? Why does it need to be defended?

Does the work of defense preclude the task of rearranging the idea itself?

Drawing on these essential questions, this volume traces the historical transformations of the university in medieval Europe and explores current debates on its existence and sustenance in a neoliberal India. It challenges the liberal-humanist ‘ideal’ of academic exchange to inquire into long befuddled debates on the true nature of the modern univ...