Pausing to be human in the neoliberal university: Relational pedagogy and the politics of presence

When higher education is increasingly driven by metrics, efficiency and performative productivity, what does it mean to pause, to slow down, to feel… to be, simply, human? This opinion piece explores how relational pedagogy, grounded in presence and affect, offers a quiet but powerful form of resistance within the neoliberal university. Drawing on recent research and practice, I argue that pausing is not a retreat from the demands of academic life, but an intentional pedagogical act, one that re-centres connection, care and co-presence in our teaching and learning environments. In doing so, we begin to reimagine not only how we teach, but what kind of academic cultures we wish to cultivate.