Description
Book SynopsisThis work studies Oxford University's transformation - and the political hazards for academics that ensued - when, after World War II, it changed from a private liberal-arts club with aristocratic pretensions into a state university committed to the natural sciences.
Trade Review"Soares writes a lively narrative full of interesting sketches of individuals and events. He navigates the arcane relationships between the Oxford colleges and the University with great clarity. And he deftly handles the ironies of the "Oxford Myth" and its obfuscation of the realities of modern Oxford." --
History of Education Quarterly"Once there was an ancient foundation, a seat of privilege and powerful connections. Then, quickly, quietly, working from within, it modernized itself. But old myths clung like ivy, failing to reflect the meritocratic make-over, and exposing it in due course to attacks from the Left and Right—attacks to which it was all the more vulnerable for the loss of its old Establishment friends and new dependence on the public purse. This is the tale told by Joseph Soares in
The Decline of Privilege: The Modernization of Oxford University, and he tells it enormously well, with a wealth of carefully researched detail, a sharp sense of paradox, and a nice balance between intellectual framework and the living zest of incident and personality." --
Oxford TodayTable of ContentsIntroduction: the Oxford myth Part I. The Transformation of Oxford: 1. Academic autonomy and money matters: Oxford goes public 2. The making of Oxford as a middle-class institution: admissions controversies 3. Oxford moves into the natural sciences 4. St. Catherine's College: renewal of the collegiate tradition Part II. Oxford Embattled: 5. Labour politics and the high tide of internal reform: academia challenged 6. Thatcher politics: academia dethroned Conclusion 7. Dilemmas of academic authority Notes References Index.
