Rūta Bružienė (Vilnius University)
This presentation is based on an analysis of the transformations of governmentality within the Lithuanian higher education system from 1990 to 2024. The study illustrates how neoliberalization unfolded following Lithuania’s restoration of independence, as it sought to return to Western higher education traditions, which had been ruptured by the period of Soviet occupation.
The research is theoretically grounded in the theory of governmentality. This approach focuses on power-knowledge practices that establish specific ‘regimes of truth.’ To map the empirical evolution of these practices, the study utilizes Jamie Peck’s (2010) model of the construction of neoliberal rationality. It distinguishes between “roll-back” neoliberalism (the destructive dismantling of institutional structures) and “roll-out” neoliberalism (the constructive institutionalization of new regulatory technologies).
Following the collapse of the Soviet system, Lithuania’s transition unfolded within an “institutional void” (Hajer & Wagenaar, 2003). Discourse analysis reveals that 1990–2000 was characterized by “roll-back” neoliberalism, shifting from absolute, uncontrolled institutional autonomy toward a discourse of systemic crisis. The 2000–2008 phase introduced “shallow roll-out” mechanisms, normalizing managerialism. Finally, the 2009 Law on Science and Studies cemented a “deep roll-out” reality, establishing neoliberal competition as the dominant regime of truth.
Ultimately, this study reveals that neoliberal rationality is not a monolithic global phenomenon but a spatially and temporally contingent process that stabilizes only by adapting to and modifying pre-existing institutional settings.