Sold My Soul for a Student Loan : Higher Education and the Political Economy of the Future

With unprecedented student debt keeping an entire generation from realizing the "American Dream," this book sounds a warning about how that debt may undermine both higher education-and our democracy. American higher education boasts one of the most impressive legacies in the world, but the price of admission for many is now endless debt. As this book shows, increasing educational indebtedness undermines the real value of higher education in our democracy. To help readers understand this dilemma, the book examines how student debt became commonplace and what the long-term effects of such an ongoing reality might be. Sold My Soul for a Student Loan examines this vitally important issue from an unprecedented diversity of perspectives, focusing on the fact that student debt is hindering the ability of millions of people to enter the job market, the housing market, the consumer economy, and the political process. Among other topics, the book covers the history of consumer debt in the United States, the history of federal policy toward higher education, and political action in response to the issue of student debt. Perhaps most importantly, it explores the new relationship debtor-citizens have to the government as a result of debt, and how that impacts democracy for a new generation. * Examines both the causes of student debt and its implications for our democracy * Offers a 360-degree view of student debt from the perspective of students, graduates, policymakers, political activists, journalists, administrators, and college/university faculty * Provides a context for how student debt was created as a phenomenon much more complex than generational culture * Shows there is new hope in the form of a significant, multifaceted movement advocating for student debtors; and that government and banks are responding with new actions and programs