Authors

Rafig Abdullayev¹;  ¹ University of Glasgow, UK

Discussion

In this paper I examine the functions and logics behind higher education in democratic and authoritarian contexts. I therefore compare higher education in Russia and the UK. A central theme of my research is power, understood largely from a Foucauldian perspective. It might be assumed that the Russian system of higher education is based largely on political, top-down control, whereas the UK system is freer and less constrained. However, by examining state discourses alongside interviews with university teachers, I argue for a more nuanced perspective on the role of higher education in authoritarian and democratic contexts. While the Russian state purposefully instrumentalises higher education to promote “patriotic” socialisation, the UK system is often shaped (controlled?) by logics of marketisation and neoliberalism. A comparative analysis therefore demonstrates how control and discipline are enforced in both systems – sometimes in vastly different ways, but sometimes in ways that are surprisingly similar.