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Academic elitism

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Academic elitism is a charge sometimes levied at academic institutions and academics more broadly; use of the term "ivory tower" often carries with it an implicit critique of academic elitism. "Academic elitism" is also related to the concept of "intellectual elitism".

Description

Academic elitism suggests that in highly competitive academic environments only those individuals who have engaged in scholarship are deemed to have anything worthwhile to say, or do. It suggests that individuals who have not engaged in such scholarship are cranks.

Academic elitism is also an ideological belief that only those who attended the most elite or prestigious universities (such as Ivy League schools or Oxbridge) are capable of obtaining wealth and power. Proponents of academic elitism justify this belief by claim that this is just a by-product of capitalism.

Values of the academic elite

Among members of the academic elite in the United States, liberalism remains the most prominent ideology. The vast majority of professors, 72% identify themselves as liberals. At Ivy League Universities, an even larger majority of 87% of professors identified themselves as liberals.[1] Additionally those with some post graduate study were more likely to vote Democratic in the 1996,[2] 2000,[3] 2004, [4] and 2006 elections.[5]

See also

General
Elitism, Ivory Tower, model minority
Education
Ivy League, Little Ivies, Southern Ivies

External articles and references

Published articles
  1. ^ "Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. The Washington Post". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "CNN. (1996). Exit Poll". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "CNN. (2000). Exit Poll". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "CNN. (2004). Exit Poll". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "CNN. (2006). Exit Poll". Retrieved 2007-07-11.
Websites