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19 May 2011: Michael Bailey's "The Assault on Universities: A Manifesto for Resistance" attracts pre-launch attention

The Assault on Universities: A Manifesto for Resistance edited by Michael Bailey, Des Freedman and to be published by Pluto Press is already capturing press and media attention.

Widespread student protests and occupations, often supported by staff, unions and society at large, show the public's opposition to funding cuts and fee increases. The contributors to this sharp, well-written collection, many of whom are active participants in the anti-cuts movement, outline what's at stake and why it matters. They argue that university education is becoming increasingly skewed towards vocational degrees, which devalues the arts and social sciences – subjects that allow creativity and political inquiry to flourish.

You can find the manifesto itself and its set of demands at http://hemanifesto.tumblr.com/

Michael Bailey is Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Essex. He is the author or editor of The Uses of Richard Hoggart (2011), Mediating Faiths (2011) and Narrating Media History (2008). He has held visiting fellowships at Goldsmiths, the LSE and at the University of Cambridge.

Des Freedman is Reader in Communications and Cultural Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London and an editor of the journal Global Media and Communication. He is the author or editor of The Politics of Media Policy (2008), Television Policies of the Labour Party (2003) and War and the Media (2003). He is secretary of the Goldsmiths branch of the University and College Union.

Press/media:

Times Higher: "UK 'consumer' culture causes global concerns"