It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Student Engagement in Europe: Society, Higher Education and Student Governance, 2015
For most of the second half of the twentieth century, Philip Altbach has followed, analysed and theorised student activism in North America, India, Europe and beyond, and become the foremost scholar on the topic. This chapter critically reviews Altbach’s work on student activism (1963 – 2006) and his efforts at developing a comparative theoretical understanding of student activism in terms of its causes, organisation, ideological orientation, and outcomes, along with the backgrounds and identity of student activists, the importance of national and institutional contexts and historical conjunctures in the emergence of student activism and in the response of national and university governments to student protest. In keeping with Altbach’s thinking on student politics and activism the chapter considers four questions: Under what conditions does student activism emerge? What are the typical characteristics of student organisations and movements? What are the typical characteristics of student activists? What are the effects of student activism? The chapter thus challenges Altbach’s own assertion that “student activism lacks any overarching theoretical explanation” (1991) showing that in various respects his work has eventually provided precisely that.
Publication Date: 2015
Publication Name: Student Engagement in Europe: Society, Higher Education and Student Governance
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