服务学术的洪堡式叙事与市场相遇——研究型大学四种学术工作信念的叙事研究

近年来,研究型大学在经费模式和管理方式上都发生了深刻的变化,这些变化的本质体现在"创业型大学""学术资本主义"和"后现代大学"等描述当今学术界的流行术语中。文章研究指向市场力量的转向对学术界内部运作和学术工作性质的影响,实证基础是对美国佛罗里达大学三种不同类型的学术组织的15位教师的半结构访谈,借助一种叙事方法,区分了四种学术信念核心叙事:服务学术的洪堡式叙事、服务社会的象牙塔外式叙事、服务企业的营销式叙事和服务政府的合同式叙事。学术资本主义和市场导向的外部压力对学术工作没有机械的影响,学者基于文化共享和持续的基本假设、价值观、规范和道德承诺来解释和回应新的需求。学术与市场导向的理想与实践往往相互矛盾,相互依存,如何在两者之间找到平衡是学术工作面临的最大挑战之一。

Humboldt Meets Market Forces:A Narrative Approach to Four Types of Academic Work Orientations in Research University

During recent years,research universities have undergone many profound changes with regard to both funding patterns and management styles.The nature of these changes is well captured by the newly prevailing terms characterizing the present-day academia,such as"the entrepreneurial university","academic capitalism"and"the postmodern university".This paper will explore what impact the turn to market forces has on the internal functioning of academia,particularly on the nature of academic work.The empirical basis of the paper is composed of focused interviews with 15 academics in three academic units in University of Florida.Drawing upon a narrative approach,the paper will distinguish four cultural core narratives that describe academic work,which include Humboldtian serving for academic community,outside-ivory tower serving for society,marketing serving for enterprises and contract serving for government departments.The paper argues that the external pressures to engage in academic capitalism and market-orientation have no mechanical effects on academic work,as academics interpret and respond to the new demands on the basis of the culturally shared and sustained basic assumptions,values,norms and moral commitments.At present,the traditional academic and the market-oriented ideals and practices,which frequently contradict each other,live side by side.For this reason,one of the greatest challenges in academic work is to try to find a balance between them.