Exile, sanctuary and diaspora: mediations between higher education and society

Abstract

This paper is premised on a commitment to higher education's role in contributing to greater social justice. The goals, values and practices of higher education and those of society are therefore regarded as, ideally, intertwined. To this end I want to suggest a way of thinking about what it means to study, teach or research in higher education that transcends notions of inside or outside the academy. I will use the three terms – exile, sanctuary and diaspora – to capture different moments and manifestations of the relationships among individuals in higher education and between them and wider society.

Keywords:

• critical theory
• critical pedagogy
• Adorno
• social justice