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The academic profession

The academic profession
The academic profession
In observing the various sectors of production and service in our modern societies and the various institutions in charge, we note that the higher education and research sector is peculiar in several respects. Higher education can be characterized by a relatively open set of multiple goals; by loose mechanisms of coercion, control and steering from above; by a high degree of fragmentation; and by a strong influence of the principal workers— the academic professionals—on the determination of goals, on the management and administration of institutions, and on the daily routines of work. In addition, if we look at the interrelationships between different sectors of production and services, we might consider the academic profession to be one of the most influential in shaping other sectors as well. This is, for example, underscored by British social historian Harold Perkin’s description of the academic profession as the “key profession . . . the profession that educates the other professions” (Perkin, 1969).
978-1-4020-4011-5
5-21
Springer
Enders, Jürgen
cf0b34e3-15ef-430a-ae38-3c780d059a78
Forest, James J.F.
Altbach, Philip G.
Enders, Jürgen
cf0b34e3-15ef-430a-ae38-3c780d059a78
Forest, James J.F.
Altbach, Philip G.

Enders, Jürgen (2006) The academic profession. In, Forest, James J.F. and Altbach, Philip G. (eds.) International Handbook of Higher Education. (Springer International Handbooks of Education, 18) Dordrecht, NL. Springer, pp. 5-21. (doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-4012-2_2).

Record type: Book Section

Abstract

In observing the various sectors of production and service in our modern societies and the various institutions in charge, we note that the higher education and research sector is peculiar in several respects. Higher education can be characterized by a relatively open set of multiple goals; by loose mechanisms of coercion, control and steering from above; by a high degree of fragmentation; and by a strong influence of the principal workers— the academic professionals—on the determination of goals, on the management and administration of institutions, and on the daily routines of work. In addition, if we look at the interrelationships between different sectors of production and services, we might consider the academic profession to be one of the most influential in shaping other sectors as well. This is, for example, underscored by British social historian Harold Perkin’s description of the academic profession as the “key profession . . . the profession that educates the other professions” (Perkin, 1969).

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Published date: 2006

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 353454
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/353454
ISBN: 978-1-4020-4011-5
PURE UUID: ceaa8821-b113-4332-a7e0-f9fdf5e4b6b3

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Date deposited: 12 Jun 2013 12:05
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 14:06

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Contributors

Author: Jürgen Enders
Editor: James J.F. Forest
Editor: Philip G. Altbach

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