BSJEpaper Feb 2020 REF.pdf (245.44 kB)
Gender in the neoliberalised global academy: the affective economy of women and leadership in South Asia
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 22:40 authored by Louise Morley, Barbara CrossouardBarbara CrossouardAs higher education (HE) institutions globally become increasingly performative, competitive and corporatised in response to neoliberal rationalities, the exigencies of HE leadership are being realigned to accommodate its value system. This article draws on recent British Council-funded research, including 30 semi-structured interviews, to explore women’s engagement with leadership in HE in South Asia. A potent affective economy was discovered. Leadership was associated with affects such as competitiveness, aggression, impropriety, stress and anxiety, in ways that were intensi?ed by highly patriarchal and corporatised HE cultures. Indeed, its dif?culties and toxicities meant that leadership was rejected or resisted as an object of desire by many women. We illuminate how different forms of competition contribute to the affective economy of HE leadership. The research also raises wider questions about the possibilities of disrupting dominant neoliberal constructions of HE if those who question such values are excluded (or self-exclude) from leadership positions.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
British Journal of Sociology of EducationISSN
0142-5692Publisher
Taylor & FrancisExternal DOI
Issue
1Volume
37Page range
149-168Department affiliated with
- Social Work and Social Care Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2015-10-06First Open Access (FOA) Date
2017-06-24First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2015-10-06Usage metrics
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