British Academics and the Professorship

Abstract

Attitudes towards the power and status of the professorship are analysed among a national sample of university teachers in Britain. Discontent with both power ('professorial oligarchy') and status (the career expectation of a chair) are widespread and closely correlated. But political attitudes are more closely aligned to attitudes towards professorial power than towards professorial status. Cosmopolitanism as opposed to localism is correlated with critical attitudes towards professorial power and status. Together these attitudes suggest distinct social-academic philosophies which are linked to the social and political structure of society as well as to the changing structure of higher education.