Futuring the University

Tony Fry Summary:

Summary:  This article reviews two of the most influential critical positions on the future of the late modern university. The first critique is based on Bill Readings’ acclaimed book, “The University in Ruins”, and the second on Jacques Derrida’s writing on the university, in particular, his essay “The University Without Condition.” The article sets out to make clear the insufficiency of these positions in the face of contemporary unsustainable circumstances. Specifically, it presents the case for thinking and developing far more radical perspectives able to start to redirect university education toward a new culture of learning, i.e., a culture wherein the university serves to advance sustainable futures rather than upholding the status quo.