University of Michigan faculty member H. Chandler Davis (1926-2022) became a symbol of principled dissent when suspended and fired in 1954 for refusing to testify about his political affiliations to the House Un-American Activities Committee. Invoking academic freedom and First Amendment protection, Davis was convicted of contempt of Congress. He served six months in prison before moving to Canada, where he established himself as a brilliant mathematician, prolific writer, and ardent and much beloved advocate for justice.
Now at a time when another, more devastating McCarthyism has come roaring back to threaten free inquiry everywhere, the new book, In the Spirit of H. Chandler Davis: Activism and the Struggle for Academic Freedom, argues against the suppression of protest, the policed and surveilled campus, the self-silencing of “institutional neutrality,” and other enemies of academic freedom.
Inspired by Chandler Davis’ courage, integrity, and devotion to the struggle against oppression, injustice, and the persecution of speech, the twelve contributors to this book offer crucial insights into the importance of defending intellectual independence, institutional autonomy, and the right to free expression, and the importance of facing, and not accepting, authoritarian threats.
The AAUP celebrates the release of this volume by inviting you to join this conversation about the work with editor Melanie S. Tanielian and contributors Marjorie Heins and Henry Reichman.