The Invisible University? Lifelong Learning,Literary Study and the City of Bristol

This article explores why some universities may be ‘invisible’ to adults in their local communities. It suggests that funding changes in UK higher education, particularly those initiated by the Browne Review in 2010, may reinforce such a divide. The article draws on Stefan Collini's critiques of government policy, particularly in relation to the arts and humanities. However, it argues that Collini risks perpetuating an idea of universities as separate from the rest of human activity. How, then, might we re-imagine the university and reaffirm the role of the arts and humanities, without idealising either or preserving them in isolation? This article draws on ideas from Raymond Williams and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak to suggest that we need to re-think the value of culture, within and beyond universities, by understanding how it has meaning in a wider community. The article highlights recent work at the University of Bristol, including on a part-time BA in English Literature and Community Engagement, and uses this to explore what the problems and potential benefits are in trying to turn such theories into practice.