Panel discussion
Thursday 2 March
6.30-8pm followed by a drinks reception
Lecture Theatre B

London College of Communication

Book your place now.

This is the second of two open panel discussions which debate Knowledge after Austerity and Brexit 

The first will take place at the same time on the 23. February Read more about Panel 1: The problem with knowledge: Knowledge after austerity and Brexit

Together they are examining knowledge production and dissemination in the context of austerity, and the way in which knowledge has been brought into focus in the atmosphere of the Brexit vote. These panel discussions provide a framework to explore both the challenges and the opportunities that the current political and economic context presents.

Since 2010, the political and economic context for knowledge production in the UK has been transformed. Austerity’s ideological and economic dimensions have led to significant changes in the way that knowledge is produced and disseminated. The impact of fiscal tightening has been felt in numerous ways, from the closure of public libraries, to spending cuts inflicted on the arts, to fundamental changes in the financing of higher education.

In the last year, the EU referendum campaign and its aftermath have given rise to the idea that we are entering a new era of ‘post-truth’ politics in which intellectualism is disparaged and ‘people in this country have had enough of experts’. The outcomes of the referendum and the US presidential election have also focused attention on the financialized nature of digital knowledge production and on the increasing role of algorithms and ‘filter bubbles’ in the organisation of information online.