A plethora of books and articles have appeared recently that announce the global triumph of corporate capitalism and its attendant ideologies. Nowhere are these articles more scathing in their critique of corporatization than in the field of education. However, few have taken a historical perspective in examining the institutional policies and practices that paved the way for private‐sector influence and the adoption of business and administrative sensibilities in higher education. This article examines the University of Michigan between 1945 and the (...) early 1960s as a case study of the kinds of physical and philosophical changes that occurred to usher in the process of corporatization at a major research university. I focus predominantly on one major research effort‐‐the Phoenix Memorial Project‐‐that set in motion many of the forces that would effectively reshape the school's philosophy and practices. The article begins with a discussion of the ideological and political tensions that characterized the course of U‐M scientific research after World War II, particularly the complex intermingling of university, government and corporate interests. Next, I document the Phoenix Project itself and the emphasis on institutional restructuring for capital investment that it inspired. Despite conflicting and contradictory ideas about links between education and both military and corporate research interests, U‐M's top administrators restructured the university to attract venture capital by constructing innovative mechanisms for integrating investors’ needs into the work of academic inquiry. Finally, I want to look at some of the cultural narratives that enabled this triumph of corporate interests to infuse itself into the U‐M's institutional and social mission. (shrink)

With contributions from leading experts across disciplinary fields, this book explores best practices from the field's most notable researchers, as well as important historically based and politically focused challenges to a field whose impact has reached an important crossroads. The comprehensive and powerfully critical analysis considers the history of community engagement and service learning, best teaching practices and pedagogies, engagement across disciplines, and current research and policies - and contemplates the future of the field. The book will not only inform (...) faculty, staff, and students on ways to improve their work, but also suggest a bigger social and political focus for programs intended to seriously establish democracy and social justice in their communities and campuses. (shrink)

The Oxford Handbook of Sociology for Social Justice is a collection of over 30 chapters focused on how sociological research and applications can be used in various struggles for equality, safety and liberation. The authors describe and promote sociological concepts, theories and methods that have empowered academic scholars to support political organizing, popular education, innovative and grassroots policy making, in an effort to democratize knowledge production and provide some of the ideological and political tools to dismantle exploitive colonial and patriarchal (...) structures, as well as the colonial roots of the discipline itself. This Handbook is a compendium of international scholars presenting real-life examples of how sociologists can "make a difference," in myriad forms of research, teaching and action. Ultimately, this Handbook shows an alternative path for young sociologists and those who still believe the discipline can be a powerful force for social justice. (shrink)