The transformation of academia into a dogmatic belief system where specific theories (e.g., critical theories, neoliberal economics) become unquestionable doctrines. Adherence is a litmus test for legitimacy, dissenters are excommunicated (denied publication, tenure), and complex scholarship is reduced to catechisms and purity tests.
Academic Neopentecostalism Example: In certain humanities departments, deviating from a specific, prescribed theoretical framework in your analysis is not seen as a scholarly disagreement, but as an ethical failure. Job candidates are grilled on their doctrinal commitment to the theory, not their original thought, creating an environment of enforced orthodoxy.
by Abzugal February 8, 2026
Get the Academic Neopentecostalism mug.