Organising for the end

We theorise and illustrate the deinstitutionalisation process that universities are currently undergoing. This deinstitutionalisation process is triggered by a loss of moral values that have formed the basis of a certain self-description and self-identity of the university as an institution for more than a century. It manifests itself in certain funerary practices that are adopted to veil, take advantage of, or cope with this loss. We look in particular at three funerary practices. First, we highlight the increasing investments in branding and marketing activities and their impact on the image of universities. Furthermore, we explore shifts in governance and the authoritarian turn in university leadership. Third, we will take a closer look at expressions of dissatisfaction and dissent among its members. In the remainder, we will reflect on the future(s) of universities at this critical juncture.