A CULTure of entrepreneurship education

Farny, S, Frederiksen, SH, Hannibal, M and Jones, S (2016) A CULTure of entrepreneurship education. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 28 (7-8). pp. 514-535. ISSN 0898-5626

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Abstract

High hopes are invested in a rapid institutionalization of an enterprise culture in Higher Education (HE). This has heightened the importance of entrepreneurship education (EE) in most Western societies; however, how values and beliefs about entrepreneurship are institutionalized in EE remains relatively unchallenged. This study applies the lens of the cult, in particular three elements Rituals, Deities and the Promise of Salvation, to reflect on the production and reproduction of entrepreneurship in EE. In doing so, the paper addresses uncontested values and beliefs that form a hidden curriculum prevalent in EE. We argue for greater appreciation of reflexive practices to challenge normative promotions of beliefs and values that compare with forms of evangelizing, detrimental to objectives of HE. Consequently, we call for a more critical pedagogy to counteract a ‘cultification’ of entrepreneurship in EE.