468. NEOLIBERALISM, FREE SPEECH, AND THE AMERICAN COLLEGE CAMPUS

Willie Hiatt  The war on “wokeism,” the backlash against student protests and free speech, and the efforts to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives reflect not just the raw political divisiveness of our time. The upheaval on college campuses is the result of more than forty years of the marketization of higher ed—that is, the view that colleges and universities exist above all to serve capitalist interests and prepare students for the modern workforce. As scholar and cultural critic Henry Giroux asserts, “There can be little doubt that neoliberalism has undermined, if not crippled, the notion of higher education as a democratic public sphere.” This lecture charts the path of neoliberalism since the 1980s and explores how relentless market fundamentalism contributed to the current higher ed crisis.    10:00 – 12noon                                                                                                                               1 Session Wednesday, Jun