Value and the Humanities: The Neoliberal University and Our Victorian Inheritance

Understanding the Value of the Humanities 📚

This open-access study confronts a question that has become urgent in contemporary higher education: how should we measure the worth of humanistic study? Zoe Hope Bulaitis brings together literary history, cultural economics, and education policy to show that today’s debates over tuition, research impact, and public value are not as new as they often seem. The book looks back to Victorian arguments about culture, utility, and education as a way of illuminating our own moment.

The Neoliberal University and Its Victorian Inheritance

Bulaitis traces how economic reasoning gradually reshaped the language used to justify the humanities. She argues that the neoliberal university—where value is often reduced to financial return—has deep roots in Victorian thinking about education, self-improvement, and the social function of culture. By returning to this inheritance, the book uncovers alternative vocabularies for defending the humanities.

Why This History Matters Now 💡

The study is particularly relevant for readers concerned with the future of universities. It engages with questions that remain live: Who benefits from higher education? What role should the humanities play in a society oriented toward economic growth? How can we speak about value without collapsing it into price? Bulaitis offers a historically informed perspective that avoids simple nostalgia and instead builds a critical toolkit for advocacy.

A Resource for Scholars and Advocates

Scholars in literary studies, cultural history, and education policy will find rigorous engagement with both Victorian sources and contemporary debates. Students and educators will appreciate the clear connection between historical analysis and present-day challenges. Because the book is open access, it is freely available for anyone invested in the future of the humanities.