Emily Levine on the Hard Compromises behind Academic Innovation

By Patrick Bijsmans

FASoS assistant professor and editor of RevDem Ferenc Laczó recently met with Emily Levine (Stanford University) to discuss key ideas in her new book Allies and rivals: German-American exchange and the rise of the modern research university. Allies and Rivals is a transatlantic monograph that is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the past, present and future of higher education. It draws on extensive historical research and applies sociological theory to study how the academic social contract was repeatedly renegotiated in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The conversation addresses the rise of modern research universities and its alternatives, questions of meritocracy and democracy, academic freedom and hard compromises, the global exchange of ideas and academic innovation in the twenty-first century. The audiofile and transcript of the conversation are available here. Several blogs on our website also address issues related to the future of higher education and can be viewed by clicking on ‘Blog Posts‘ in the banner on the top of the page. Join the debate if you want to contribute yourself.