Changing Knowledge Production in Indonesian Higher Education: Is It a Bare Pedagogy?

The neoliberal ideology that is driven by market or corporate principles has gained a prominent place in knowledge production in higher education in Indonesia. Over the course of its application, there have emerged changing discourses or underlying assumptions in the way knowledge is predicated upon and produced. Previously, knowledge production was embedded in the notions of democratic, cultural, and moral values. Yet, this has now shifted to the notion of a corporate ethos that foregrounds the culture of efficiency, competitiveness, effectiveness, individualism, and rationality. The aftermath of such a shift in higher education, in knowledge production, in particular, has been the reorientation of critical pedagogy (stresses democratic and civic languages) to the so-called bare pedagogy. This article aims to analyze the rise of bare pedagogy in knowledge production in Indonesian higher education that is traced to several forms of academic scholarly activities, from research to teaching. Such an analysis is important as this issue has considerably eluded academic and political attention. In so doing, this analysis may become a reminder for those working in academia and those dealing with policy in higher education.