Muhammad Betz (mbetz@sosu.edu)
Fri, 29 Oct 1999 09:10:48 +1300
From: Muhammad Betz <mbetz@sosu.edu> Subject: educational politics Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 09:10:48 +1300
List address to send message to everyone: ifets-discuss@LISTSERV.READADP.COM
Details of current discussion: http://ifets.ieee.org/discussions/discuss.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you do not believe that the academic elite *ought* to be more than a
corrupt cabal, then what can you do but congratulate them for getting to the
top of the greasy pole ahead of the rest of us?" Crispin Weston
"I know, you mean there is truth and there is politics. And in between?"
Ania Lian
Between truth and politics and in answer to Crispin's question is only
speculation, of course.
Now that communism is dead, pro forma, I can freely refer to my view of the
conundrum alluded to in this motif, that is, Karl Marx's "class struggle."
In the case of higher education and its elites, I see a corresponding
"class" alignment, where there seems to be a real bourgeoisie and a
proletariat. "Who paid for your Ph.D.?" is my first question. If paid by
existing finances, such as inheritance, you might go far into elitist
status. If you worked proletarian type jobs to finance your Ph.D., then you
will continue your post-doctoral work in the shadow of the educational
bourgeoisie.
I am not stating this theory in a pejorative sense. Why should one's status
in any profession be confined to the work of one generation, that is, one's
own effort? There is nothing "wrong" with advantage in life. Proletarians
have their advantages as do the bourgeoisie. However, I do suspect that
elitism in higher education is based on this premise rather than one's
ideological persuasion, or any corrupt cabal. Corruption is not the sole
property of any social distinction.
Your thoughts?
Muhammad
Muhammad Betz, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Educational Instruction & Leadership
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
(580)924-0121 x2326
fax:(580)920-5708
mbetz@sosu.edu
www.sosu.edu/ebs/eil/betz
---------------------------------------------------------
Forum website: http://ifets.ieee.org/
Forum's contact person: kinshuk@massey.ac.nz
Info on Join/Leave List: http://ifets.ieee.org/maillist.html
---------------------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Thu 28 Oct 1999 - 23:55:57 MEST