Universities in the 21st century: A new battlescape over “public things” and our commonworld

This article explores the transformation of contemporary higher education space – in particular, it explores Bonnie Honig’s notion of the death or diminishment of “public things” (Honig, 2017) as they relate to the modern concept of the university. Following Honig’s (2017) work, we argue that the concept of the university, if it was ever to be considered to rest within the realm of the public, is currently being captured by political lobbyists and state and ultra conservative right non-state actors to redefine the idea of what we mean by the public and the university. The context for such forms of HE capture relate primarily to shifting geopolitics and new state norms – in this case, the rise of neo-nationalisms in a new age of extremes, with Hungary as a focal point.