New Zealand studenthood in neoliberal times.

Ironically, despite universities and other tertiary education organisations being at the heart of the vaunted 'knowledge society', they tend to be remarkably un-self-reflexive: apart from a considerable outpouring of literature about the mal-effects of changes on academic staff. While students are endlessly called upon to provide survey information about various details of their university lives, they are seldom depicted 'in the round' in their social status as students. This article intends to repair these gaps. It begins with a conceptualisation of students in general and then as constructed by neoliberalism. It then explores the possibilities for empirically validating this model, drawing upon several wider surveys to explore the contemporary social conditions of students and to suggest further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]