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The University and the Market: A Dangerous Intimacy (for general readers)

A Small Note to My Readers I’m trying something new with my writing. For some topics, I’ll be creating two versions of the same idea  — one for the academic community, using theoretical frameworks and references, and another for general readers, where the same ideas are explored in a more accessible and less jargon-heavy way. The aim is simple: to make complex ideas travel across different spaces without losing their depth. ( And now, here is the version of the blog for general readers ) We talk about:  skills, outcomes,  employability,  global competitiveness. But we rarely ask:  What is happening to thinking?  This piece reflects on the changing nature of higher education and the cost of these transformations. A Faustian Bargain? What Is Really Happening to Higher Education Today Higher education today is increasingly driven by metrics, markets, and measurable outcomes. But education was never meant to be only about productivity. It was also about thi...

From EMS to Arundhati Roy: Why the Humanities Still Shape Politics

Why do we continue to invest massively in STEM while treating the Humanities as an intellectual luxury? From Gramsci’s concept of hegemony to Edward Said’s critique of Orientalism, many of the ideas that transformed how we understand power and society emerged from the Humanities. In an age obsessed with data and productivity, the Humanities remind us that critical thinking is not a luxury—it is a democratic necessity. Why the Humanities Matter in an Age Obsessed with STEM Why should we invest in the Humanities in an age when STEM disciplines promise technological breakthroughs, economic growth, and solutions to almost every human problem? Today, STEM subjects dominate academic prestige, funding priorities, and public imagination. If STEM occupies the commanding heights of knowledge production, the social sciences often follow close behind — offering data-driven insights into society through statistics, graphs, and measurable outcomes. The Humanities, however, stand awkwardly on the m...