ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9052-1753

MSU Affiliation

College of Arts and Sciences

Creation Date

1-22-2026

Creation Date

2026-01-22

Abstract

Facing widespread student disengagement and dissatisfaction, U.S. higher education is undergoing a paradigm shift, detaching from its civic and pedagogical origins. A key force driving this transformation is the rise of student consumerism. While existing literature documents market-driven actions adopted by higher education institutions (HEIs) and the consumer roles students play, it overlooks structural market forces. Specifically, little theorization exists on the relationship between late-stage capitalism and student consumerism. This paper addresses that gap through two steps: first, offering a historical analysis of the traditional university model, late-stage capitalism, academic capitalism, and the decline of the liberal arts; second, developing a conceptual framework connecting Fredric Jameson’s interpretation of late-stage capitalism to student consumerism through Archer’s Morphogenetic Sequence. This analysis contends that student consumerism results not from policy or cultural changes, but from structural transformations known as late-stage capitalism, shaping both student roles and institutional behaviors in U.S. higher education.

Publication Date

Fall 12-19-2025

Publication Title

Critique: A Worldwide Student Journal of Politics

Publisher

Illinois State University

First Page

95

Last Page

129

Rights

Published version reproduced with permission of Critique: A Worldwide Student Journal of Politics (Illinois State University). This work may be used for non-commercial scholarly and educational purposes with proper attribution.

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