Refunctionalising Education in the Neoliberal University: Academic Devaluation and Market Expansion
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Under the neoliberal higher education system, the value of disciplines is increasingly being defined by economic returns and measurable performance. This article explores the status of education as an academic discipline in contemporary universities, focusing on the contradiction between its declining academic status and its expansion in the education market. Based on the comprehensive framework of neoliberal universities and academic capitalism, the dual status of education is analyzed. Education research is marginalized in the academic evaluation system. Meanwhile, education programs oriented towards employment and qualifications have become a key source of tuition income. To explain this contradiction, the concept of Refunctionalization is introduced, which refers to the process of retaining a discipline that has been devalued in academic assessment by redefining its functions. This article argues that the current state of contemporary education cannot be understood as the decline of the discipline or the success of the market. Instead, it reflects a broader process of institutional restructuring, in which universities re-adjust their disciplinary functions under the pressure of financial constraints and intense competition. This perspective helps to understand how disciplines are reorganized in the neoliberal higher education system and raises broader questions about the future direction of education.
Author: Yuwen Zhou
Institution: University College London
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7166851184
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: