The Contentious Politics of Academic Freedom: Social Movements and Repression

Reflections on academic freedom often develop in response to authoritarian regimes. More recently, however, concerns about the freedom to teach and conduct research in academic settings have taken on renewed urgency in Western democracies, as entire fields of study, which have emerged alongside social movements, have come under increasing attack. Defamation campaigns have targeted scholars, artists, and intellectuals. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for universities to “respect peaceful activism and revise repressive policies targeting the pro-Palestine solidarity movement”, thereby attesting to the widespread perception that academic freedoms are being restricted. The fundamental value of universities as spaces for the free exchange of ideas and for innovative and open debate is being challenged, as restrictive new regulations have been adopted to stifle protest on campuses. At the same time, progressive social movements have claimed the right to protest, linking it to a specific conception of higher education. This plenary keynote will build upon an empirical analysis of forms of repression specific to academic freedom, including the manner in which they are framed, and the way that discontent with this repressive trend is mobilized and justified. Rooted in the relational turn in social movement studies, the keynote address will locate the contentious politics of academic freedom within broader political developments related to policies of commodification of knowledge in neoliberal universities, but also increasing intersectional inequalities, the spread of poly-crisis, and the regressive backlash against civil, political, and social rights.