ABSTRACT
The victories in attacking, delegitimizing and replacing the institutions of knowledge production and dissemination have included a growing assault on one of the last bastions of independent thought. This chapter outlines the ways both neoliberalism and neopopulism have worked to dismantle the radical potential of higher education, leaving it as a mere training ground for Corporate America, actively involved in reproducing the social order. Higher education is under assault along multiple lines of attack, based on the threat they pose with their ability to spread truth, reason and pro-democratic messages to the masses. How have they accomplished this? By instrumentalizing knowledge, attempting to undermine the broader goals of colleges and universities as sites for independent knowledge creation and dissemination, increasing the influence of rich donors on research and teaching, infusing corporate mentality, structure and leadership into administration, pushing the student as consumer discourse and even attempting to pass legislation at the state level that delimits what professors can say and teach. The chapter concludes with suggestions on ways to combat these attacks.
