The Politics of Higher Education and the Militarized Academy after 9/11

This article situates the development of the university as a militarized knowledge factory within the broader context of increasing militarization within American society in recent years. Highlighting the growth of knowledge, research, and social relations organized primarily for the production of violence, the article critically engages specific ways by which militarization is shaping university life, including the increasing development of academic programs specifically serving military personnel, and charts how its alliance with the national security state has undermined the university as a site of criticism, dissent, and critical dialogue. The article concludes by offering suggestions for resisting the rising tide of militarization and reclaiming the university as a democratic public sphere.