The right to teach at university: a Humboldtian perspective

Abstract

The right to teach at university is a distinctive philosophical and legal conundrum but a largely unexplored question. Drawing on Humboltdian principles, the legitimacy of the university teacher stems from their continuing engagement in research rather than possession of academic and teaching qualifications alone. This means that the right to teach needs to be understood as a privilege and implies that it is always provisional, requiring an ongoing commitment to research. Yet, massification of higher education (HE) systems internationally has led to the disaggregation of the academic profession with teaching-only positions now increasingly common. University teachers employed to both teach and research face a narrowing set of performative expectations with respect to how ‘research-active’ is defined. This paper challenges these contemporary understandings and, drawing on historical evidence, argues that a broader definition of research and scholarship needs to underpin the basis of the right to teach.

Keywords:

• Rights
• teaching
• universities
• Humboldt
• performativity
• massification

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bruce Macfarlane

Bruce Macfarlane is professor of Higher education at the University of Bristol. His research focuses on the ethics of academic practice.

Martin G. Erikson

Martin G. Erikson is associate professor of Psychology at University of Borås, Sweden. His research focuses on various aspects of higher education, and the intersection between higher education and science studies.