While we're talking political economy, I was thinking that academia tends towards a degenerate form resembling subsistence agriculture: defending a small patch

While we're talking political economy, I was thinking that academia tends towards a degenerate form resembling subsistence agriculture: defending a small patch of turf and making just enough meaning to support a career. Even if the raw economic incentive is removed (e.g "publish or perish") there is sufficient ego investment to preserve this pattern.