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‘Life is Not Simply Fact’: Aesthetics, Atmosphere and the Neoliberal University

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Abstract

The main objective of this article is to reflect on the way in which a certain neoliberal logic and rationality have become common-sense and to contemplate the possibility of a different aesthetic. The tone or mood of this piece draws on recent work on atmosphere, affect and complexity, which will be used to explore the theme of neoliberalism within the context of the university. In the course of this discussion, I will consider questions such as: how could a different aesthetic influence the university as public space; the curriculum and academic community and friendship? How could a different aesthetic respond to epistemic, ontological and, inherently tied to them, spatial injustice?

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Notes

  1. The term ‘transformative constitutionalism’ was coined by US legal theory Crit Karl Klare in a 1998 article.

  2. Paper delivered at #Must fall conference at the University of the Free State, October 2016.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Chris Butler and Karin Crawley for inviting me to the Colloquium in Brisbane that took place in December 2017, for their generosity and for their comments on this article. My thanks also to all the other participants, in particular to Dan Matthews for alerting me to the work of Anderson and Bohme. Finally, my thanks to friends and colleagues who, in the face of increasing difficulties at universities, continue to struggle for the pursuit of knowledge, transformation and justice; and for intellectual friendship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Jurisprudence, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Karin Van Marle

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  1. Karin Van Marle
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Correspondence to Karin Van Marle.

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Van Marle, K. ‘Life is Not Simply Fact’: Aesthetics, Atmosphere and the Neoliberal University. Law Critique 29, 293–310 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10978-018-9232-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10978-018-9232-0

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