Knowledge and its Enemies: Towards a New Case for Higher Learning ...

The overarching narrative uses a historical sociological approach; however, this is presented in its two modes, the ‘substantive and analytic’, as described by Skocpol (1984, 374–378). The substantive mode is best applied to explain how and why events unfolded as they did; this is the dominant method used in chapters 1 and 2 in order to provide a rich ontological context in which the main theoretical claims are developed. These chapters trace the evolution of organised higher learning in relation to the formation of the state and the articulation of the European system of states as the basis for the global model. However, as the narrative moves beyond the Middle Ages, it is useful to draw comparisons across time and between states, bringing a progressive shift towards the more analytic mode. In chapter 3, the central claims are elaborated upon in the rich context of recent ‘in-living-memory’ historical evidence, including state experiences during the twentieth century. This analysis also allows the claims relating to the mechanisms behind path dependency, which in turn support the hypothesis of structural interdependence and coevolution, to be more fully explicated. The nature of these claims means that they need to be tested over very long time spans, rather than a narrow historical period.

Finally, the case studies do not follow the broad time lines of the previous chapters but are designed to test at a detailed empirical level the specific claims relating to political processes relevant to the main argument. This is best achieved within the boundaries of a single nation's experience, and Australia has the singular advantage of being nestled within the broader context of state formation processes underway across the Asian region. Australia provides a useful case study subject because it is a highly representative model and can be well located within a larger comparative framework, allowing for more general observations to be made.

Each of these approaches—the historical, the analytical, and the empirical—allows for mutually supporting elements of the argument to be developed. Overall, this inquiry sets out to test the proposition that organised higher learning is a structural response to the emergence and maintenance of urban society. This initially brought about the formation of literate power elites composed of political, educational, and religious