American Higher Education in a Global Context: Historical Perspectives describes the current state of universities on each continent, providing a comprehensive analysis of the numerous factors that have affected higher education systems around the world. This book studies higher education from its emergence in antiquity to the establishment of the American research university model and its adoption around the globe, through the current Covid-19 pandemic and concomitant economic and political crisis. The author pays special attention to the shortcomings of the neoliberal trend of the last four decades, which increased social stratification at institutions of higher learning. Calling for an expansion of access to tertiary education, and in particular, to research universities, this book examines the competition between China and the United States in the field of higher education, stressing the importance of academic freedom, without which there can be no true academic excellence.

Cristina Gonzálezis professor emerita of Spanish and professor emerita of Education at the University of California, Davis.

Prologue

Introduction: The 21st Century: Global Issues in Higher Education

Chapter 1: Higher Education and Economic Development: From the Appearance of the First Formal Schools to the Creation of the University

Chapter 2: The University Travels to the New World: Higher Education in the Spanish and English Colonies

Chapter 3: From Independence to Hegemony: The Rise of the American Research University

Chapter 4: Higher Education in the 20th Century: The Golden Age of the American Research University

Chapter 5: Higher Education in Europe: Divergent Paths

Chapter 6: Higher Education in Latin America and Canada: Between Europe and the United States

Chapter 7: Higher Education in Africa and the Middle East: Colonial Legacies

Chapter 8: Higher Education in Asia, Australia and New Zealand: Emergent Powers

Conclusion: The 21st Century: American Higher Education in a Global Context