The illiberal, neo-liberal and collegial university in contemporary Polish higher education. Temporal entanglements and ontological co-existence amidst geopolitical shifts

The emergence of antagonistic political visions of the university in Europe has started manifesting, replacing post-Cold War de-politicization and international convergence with open conflict. The clashes that take place in the name of the university reflect, mediate and transform wider European and geo-political conflicts. This article pursues a context-sensitive exploration of the different temporal ontologies that co-exist and collide in this space of rising nationalisms, geo-political shifts, conflict, and tension. By asking not only where but also when the nation is, the article highlights how various mobilizations and uses of national pasts, presents, and futures in higher education politics differ from and intersect with one another. The article identifies three co-existing historical trajectories–a collegiate, a neo-liberal, and an illiberal–that make up the background for the emerging conflicts as they play out in the specific case of Poland where growing evidence suggests that academic freedom is under mounting economic and political pressure.