Academic elitism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

Academic institutions often face the charge of academic elitism, sometimes called the Ivory Tower. A lesser and broader form of this, intellectual elitism, exists in non-academic circles, so academic elitism might also be viewed as a further extreme of intellectual elitism, depending upon one's perspective.

Contents

[edit] Description

Academic elitism suggests that in highly competitive academic environments only those individuals who have engaged in scholarship are deemed to have anything worthwhile to say, or do. It suggests that individuals who have not engaged in such scholarship are cranks. It is possible, though, to value serious scholarship without being an academic elitist, of course.

[edit] Expression

Academic elitism will often be expressed within communities through declarations of "Otherness", that is, non-academics will be said to be 'not good as us'. Those who mistrust non-academics will represent them as a danger to quality, insisting that they are outsiders with little intelligence. This has historically resulted in non-academics, being painted as members of a lower social grouping. Along with this, non-academics will often be said to be prone to mental instability, their critics insisting there is a connection between crankiness (or "kookiness") and non-formal education.

The tendency towards academic elitism is most pronounced in highly competitive and highly regarded environments. The peer review of academia process is occasionally cited as suppressing dissent against “mainstream” theories (part of an overall system of suppression of intellectual dissent). Some sociologists of science argue that peer review makes the ability to publish susceptible to control by elites and to personal jealousy. Reviewers tend to be especially critical of conclusions that contradict their own views, and lenient towards those that accord with them. At the same time, elite scientists are more likely than less established ones to be sought out as referees, particularly by high-prestige journals or publishers. As a result, it has been argued, ideas that harmonize with the elite's are more likely to see print and to appear in premier journals than are iconoclastic or revolutionary ones, which accords with Thomas Kuhn's well-known observations regarding scientific revolutions.

The tendency towards academic elitism is noticeable in some education systems (particularly in developed countries). More attention and resources are afforded to students who are deemed most intelligent at an early age. This inequality tends to further separate the elite from the remainder of society. Streaming systems include branded institutions, gifted classes, and other elite student groups. Countries with extensive private school systems also exemplify this trend.

[edit] Causes

Academic elitist views and beliefs may come from a variety of sources.

[edit] See also

General
Elitism, Ivory Tower,
Contrary views
Anti-intellectualism, Expert
Education
Ivy League, Little Ivies

[edit] External articles and references

Pubiched articles
Websites
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../a/c/a/Academic_elitism.html"
In other languages