by Miles Taylor - undifferentiated
First published 2020
Taylor focuses on the extraordinary wave of university construction that swept across the globe during the 1960s. Between 1961 and 1970, approximately 200 new campuses emerged on four continents, each embodying the utopian aspirations of their era. The author traces how these institutions experimented with progressive curricula, interdisciplinary approaches, and novel architectural designs. His analysis spans from West German educational reforms to Commonwealth nations establishing radically new pedagogical models. Taylor argues that these universities shared common ideals about reimagining how students should live, learn, and govern themselves. Through detailed case studies from Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia, he demonstrates how these institutions transformed academic disciplines and created entirely new forms of student experience. The book connects these historical developments to current debates about higher education's purpose and structure, offering readers both historical context and fresh perspectives on contemporary challenges facing universities today.
Genres: history, social-science, education, non-fiction, architecture, academia
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: academic-setting, historical-nonfiction
Setting: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, West Germany
Period: 1960s, 20th-Century
424 pages · Hardcover · Bloomsbury Academic