The direct subordination of universities to the accumulation of capital

RIKAP, CECILIA; HARARI-KERMADEC, HUGO

Capital & Class

SAGE

Año: 2019

0309-8168

Universitieshave historically contributed to the reproduction of capitalism. However, theyhave been historically conceived as a separate sphere or institution detachedfrom the Market, thus only indirect participants of capital?s accumulationprocesses. Our aim in this article is precisely to contribute to acknowledgethis transformation by further developing a theoretical explanation integratedto a Marxist analysis of contemporary capitalism. In particular, followingLevín (1997),we distinguish that a portion of world?s social capital has monopolized thecapacity to plan and profit from innovation. The wide gap in terms of innovationcapacities between individual capitals leaves those non-innovative with no betteroption but to subordinate and let go part of their surplus. It is in thiscontext that we will suggest that universities integrate to direct capital?saccumulation structures. To do so, we will conceptually distinguish between twosides of universities? transformation: 1) the adoption of capital enterprises?characteristics resulting in exchanges of their products (teaching and researchresults), where we will identify different degrees of bargaining power todecide the conditions of those exchanges, and 2) the transformation of academiclabor, adapting itself to capitalist production processes. Considering the former,we argue that universities? adoption of individual capitals? features can bebetter understood as a differentiated process. We suggest three types ofdifferentiated market-university, according to the different enterprises inLevín?s (1997)typology. Our concluding remarks include further research questions and nuancethe general transformation of the University as an economic actor offering someclues for developing countertendencies.