Commercialisation and the Contemporary Academic

On 18 October 2025, Dr Mariam Attia, Senior Lecturer in Academic Practice at The Classical Institute, delivered an online seminar at the Civilisation Center for Studies and Research in Cairo entitled ‘Commercialisation of Higher Education and its Impact on the Contemporary Academic’.

The event brought together scholars from diverse disciplinary and national backgrounds. Drawing on recent international research, Dr Attia examined the impact of neoliberalism on the shaping of higher education worldwide. She presented the perspectives of both proponents and critics of this ideology before analysing in depth the effects that market-driven educational strategies exert on the sector at large and on academics in particular.

Among these effects are the erosion of the moral and the social and the emergence of educational environments characterised by high stress and low trust. Such developments are reflected, among other things, in the changing nature of the teacher–student relationship and the diminishing sense of collegiality within academic institutions.

The seminar further addressed calls to resist neoliberal influences and to reclaim higher education as a public good. In this context, Dr Attia foregrounded the role of research and academic development programmes within universities as open platforms for addressing such troublesome aspects of contemporary academic work.

Drawing on classical Muslim educational scholarship, Dr Attia juxtaposed the commercial ethos that governs modern higher education, including its promotion of performativity and self-branding, with the principles espoused by al-Ghazali (1056–1111), particularly his writings on intention, sincerity, and truthfulness. She observed that, informed by his own experience within the sphere of higher education, al-Ghazali not only articulated these virtues but also embodied them, as reflected in his autobiography.

Considering their value to contemporary higher education contexts, Dr Attia invited academic development programmes to integrate elements of al-Ghazali’s thought into their curricula.

The seminar concluded with a rich and wide-ranging discussion, featuring comments and questions concerning alternatives to commercial educational paradigms, the financial precarity of universities, ethical methods of assessing professional performance, and the contemporary relevance of early Muslim scholarship, including the work of Ibn Khaldun.

Overall, the seminar was well received and opened new avenues for further exploration in this area.

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