Critical review reveals institutional shifts and corporatisation in Malaysian academia, indicating declining academic standards and reduced public engagement.
This article reflects on the evolution of Malaysian social sciences from 1970s to the present drawing on the author's experiences. It traces the rise of a multidisciplinary, historically grounded academic culture and the role of professional organisations in fostering critical scholarship. The article then examines how the massification and corporatisation of higher education reshaped the epistemic and institutional boundaries of academia, leading to a decline in academic standards and public engagement. These developments mark the passing of an era in Malaysia's academic culture.
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Francis Kok Wah Loh (2026) studied this question.
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