In Search of Hidden Stories behind Global University Rankings and Politicization of Universality of Knowledge

The concept of ‘Knowledge society’ is precursored by the idea of ‘Post-industrial society’. The remarkable transition in the societal system was initiated in the 1960s, while people were entering into a new type of society beyond the industrial and the agrarian era altogether. The first complete picture of the ‘Post-industrial society’ was presented by the distinguished sociologist Daniel Bell in 1973. According to Bell, ‘Service occupations grow at the expense of those producing material goods, and white-collar workers come to outnumber bluecollar workers employed in factories’. The work in the service sector requires stronger knowledge-base and intellectual ability compared to the work required in industrial occupations. The rapid growth of service-sectors was a landmark over a decade, i.e., during the late Sixties to late Seventies and continued afterwards. Bell opined that hypothetical knowledge and its application in different knowledge-domains or subject-areas create theories along with empirics that turns out as the main strategic resource of society. The concerned people involved with the creation and distribution of knowledge in the forms of theories and empirics (scientists and professionals of all kinds) had become the leading social group, replacing industrialists and entrepreneurs. Read more…