Town and gown
The English term town and gown (in German about townspeople and academics ) describes two different or even contradicting groups of people in university towns : the simple, non-academic citizens and townspeople on the one hand and students , graduates and university members on the other. It is mainly used in connection with older British educational cities such as Oxford , Cambridge , Durham or St Andrews and was not infrequently the epitome of conflict-laden events.
As an extension to this, the term in the United States now regularly refers to the relationship and cooperation between a city and the local university. The term “engaged university” is also used synonymously.
origin
In the Middle Ages , students at European universities often had the social status of lower clerics and accordingly wore clothing similar to that of clergymen . From these liturgical vestments , the gown that is still in use today emerged . As it was often cold and windy in university buildings, wearing these clothes quickly became a tradition and a social status symbol. This visually differentiated students and academics from the other residents of the respective city.
Historical development
middle Ages
In contrast to ancient institutions such as the Platonic Academy in Greece, which was built outside the city walls of Athens , medieval universities were often located in the city or even the city center. As a result, they were connected to the necessary inner-city infrastructure and consumer goods supply. Since the land and equipment were usually financed by the Roman Catholic Church , the universities were nonetheless independent of the communities and civil authorities. Medieval studies were therefore protected by the church and the scholars were often not subject to civil law.
The relationship between universities and communities was therefore full of conflict and led to growing tensions as the universities became more independent, privileged and sealed off. The constant attacks by universities and their families also led to confrontations between city residents and academics. The common lingua franca of the time, Latin , which was usually not spoken by urban residents, created additional barriers as many students came from abroad. Therefore, over time a relationship arose that was characterized by arrogance on the one hand and displeasure on the other.
As soon as the scholars were granted privileged rights and authorities, they negotiated fair rents for lecture halls with the congregation and threatened to move out if the congregations did not comply with their demands. Prominent examples of this are the University of Lisbon , which temporarily moved to Coimbra , or the University of Paris , which left the city for two years after an uprising. Later, more and more papal bulls were issued to grant the universities privileges vis-à-vis cities, parishes and citizens and to force cities to revoke penalties and ordinances against universities. In most cases, students and scholars could only be punished before church courts and under the Codex Iuris Canonici .
This often led to the abuse of privileges and criminal acts on the part of the students, which in turn led to violent and often fatal conflicts and uprisings. Famous to this day is the riot on Saint Scholastica Day in Oxford , which arose in 1355 between residents of the city and students of the University of Oxford and led to over 90 deaths. Only the city council members were punished, while the university was granted further privileges.
Other conflicts even have historical proportions. An earlier conflict in Oxford in 1209 led some scholars to flee to Cambridge and founded the University of Cambridge there. There, too, the students clashed with the townspeople, so that special privileges were again awarded to the university, which in turn are decisive for the success that continues to this day. After a revolt in Paris in 1229, some students were killed by a kind of civil guard after Queen Blanka of Castile demanded punishment. As a consequence, the university closed for two years, whereby Pope Gregory IX. In 1231 she finally granted extended rights and removed them from the responsibility and criminal jurisdiction of local authorities.
It was not until the 15th century that some kings ended the power of the universities and ordered student protests to be restricted. From then on, universities were subject to the respective state authority , which significantly improved their relationship to cities and citizens and led to numerous characteristics that are still common today, such as the provision of loans or dormitories .
Early modern age
In the centuries that followed, the number of these and similar conflicts decreased. Violent student-citizen conflicts were less common in the early modern period , but tense situations began to develop in the younger universities in the United States . In contrast to many classic European models, American universities usually have a large campus and are not infrequently located in smaller towns where the student body makes up a considerable part of the population and the university is by far the largest local employer. This concentration on its own campus often led to resentment among the local population, since the settlement and expansion of the universities could change or even alienate entire districts, but often also led to economic and demographic growth. Two well-known examples are the then rural towns of Cambridge in Massachusetts (seat of Harvard University since 1636 and MIT since 1861) and New Haven in Connecticut (seat of Yale University since 1716), which quickly developed into large cities with the settlement of universities.
Especially in New Haven from 1753 there were increasing clashes between the students and the population. This was preceded by a decision by University President Thomas Clap to offer separate church services for students from now on, which caused displeasure among the population and a split relationship with the students. In the decades that followed, up to modern times, there were repeated clashes with civil servants or members of the military.
Modern
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Especially after the Second World War and in the late 20th century , the number of students increased rapidly worldwide, as a result of which more and more dormitories and student accommodation were also built outside the campus . The resulting mixture of students and citizens has further alleviated the relationship, although this has created new problems such as increased traffic, a louder background noise or rising rents.
In addition, resentment was increasingly expressed in the form of student movements and similar forms of protest. Prominent examples of this are, for example, the Free Speech Movement , the West German student movement of the 1960s or May 1968 in France , which terminologically differ greatly from the classic term town and gown .
Rather connected with this term are extravagant student parties, which take place in the USA, for example, mainly with the participation of fraternities and sororities outside the campus . Since this type of behavior is generally prohibited near campuses, such activities often move to surrounding residential areas. It is not uncommon for more than 1000 guests to take part in such parties and also get into conflicts with the neighborhood due to their alcohol consumption.
In addition, public debates also arose in the USA about the advantages and disadvantages of the town and gown connection. Growing universities claimed ever larger plots of land, which were then not available to potential taxpayers and, due to the tax exemption of universities, do not receive any property tax ; At the same time, universities also provide public services and provide jobs, thereby strengthening the local economy. This strong growth of the universities also enabled previously uneducated sections of the population such as migrants or ethnic minorities access to higher education for the first time.
In the meantime, a cooperative relationship has developed between most cities and the local universities, which also includes areas such as urban and district development, infrastructure, internationalization, social justice, sport or technology. However, due to different priorities, this cooperation was and is not always easy.
future
In the course of the late 20th and 21st centuries , new study methods emerged, such as distance or online study, which no longer required the physical presence of students or only required personal conversations with professors or tutors, for example. After the distance university , the virtual university is increasingly establishing itself , which no longer even has the physical university buildings. Well-known and successful examples of both types are the Indira Gandhi National Open University as the world's largest university with 3 million students, the University of South Africa with over 330,000 students, The Open University as the largest university in England with almost 170,000 students or the Open University in Hagen as the largest German university University with over 76,000 students.
This development changes the character of the town and gown relationship, as there are only a few points of contact between locals and students and less spatial, technical and urban infrastructure is required, although many jobs are still being created.
Current effects
In cities with medieval universities, the effects of this demarcation between students and city dwellers can still be seen in the cityscape today. In the Swedish university city of Uppsala , the houses of the clergy, royal and academic residents were usually built west of the Fyrisån River , while the rest of the city, including most of the commercial activities, was to the east. The Uppsala Cathedral , the Castle Uppsala , University Library Carolina Rediviva , and most of the buildings of the University of Uppsala , such as the Gustavianum are still on the hills west of the city.
Contrasting examples are classic university cities such as Cambridge , Oxford , Paris or Rome , whose universities are usually not campus universities, but rather extend over numerous buildings in the city center and beyond and have a strong influence on the current cityscape.
Trivia
Since 1982, takes place every year long-distance running Town and Gown 10k Series held in Cambridge, now Leicester and Oxford has several thousand participants. All proceeds go to the Muscular Dystrophie UK organization. Over £ 2 million had been raised by 2019.
The Oxford Union Debating Club holds the Town v. Gown where students from the Oxford University Amateur Boxing Club compete against local boxers.
The International Town & Gown Association has existed since 2008, advising communities and their resident institutions of higher education on challenges, problems and opportunities. It organizes an annual conference attended by universities from different countries.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Kofo A. Aderogba: The Town and Gown Relationship and Sustainable Community Development in Nigerian Contemporary Universities , Summerianz Journal of Education, Linguistics and Literature, 2018, p. 2 f. (as PDF )
- ↑ a b c d Suzanne Wrightfield White: Town and gown, analysis of relationships: Black Hills State University and Spearfish, South Dakota, 1883 to 1991 , Iowa State University 1991 (as PDF )
- ↑ a b c d Laurence Brockliss: Gown and town: The university and the city in Europe, 1200-2000 , Kluwer Academic Publishers , Luxemburg 2000 (Engl.)
- ↑ Loomis Mayfield: Town and Gown in America: Some Historical and Institutional Issues of the Engaged University , Education for Health , Chicago 2001
- ↑ a b The Neglected Stepchild of University Life on insidehighered.com from August 10, 2017
- ^ 10 Colleges Where The Town And Gown Relationship Is Strained in Huffington Post, May 22, 2012
- ^ A Fair Fare Affair on insidehighered.com of February 10, 2012
- ↑ Embracing the town and gown revolution in University World News, January 25, 2019
- ↑ website of the Town and Gown 10k Series (Engl.)
- ↑ Town v. Gown - Boxing on ox.ac.uk (engl.)
- ↑ Website of the International Town & Gown Association (Eng.)