Neoliberalism and suffering in higher education : compassionate pedagogy as an act of resistance

Neoliberalism in higher education (HE) has dominated academic discourse for over 20 years and has been promulgated through the mechanisms of vocationalisation, massification and marketisation. As the hegemonic project of neoliberalism enters its own existential crisis and becomes intensified, so have the impacts on individuals across the social spectrum. Neoliberal HE has its own peculiar double impact: first" through vocationalisation and marketisation" HE contributes to the reproduction of neoliberal technocracy; second" through massification" it contributes to the direct suffering of students. In the latter case, this has arisen through the direct experiences of so-called 'non-traditional' students within the discourse of 'access' and HE. This chapter argues a case for compassionate pedagogy, where kindness is a central theme. In doing so, the argument is made for compassion both as a logical counterpart to individual suffering and as a platform for resistance to neoliberalism. The argument is further made that, if the aim of resistance is to promote social justice, then compassionate pedagogy needs to take a critical pedagogical form. The chapter concludes by reviewing educational practices and strategies that could facilitate compassionate resistance to neoliberalism and its resultant suffering in and through HE.