Part of the Academic Freedom in an International Context series. The series is cohosted by the International Studies Association (ISA)’s Academic Freedom Committee and the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom.
The ability to teach, research, and speak on issues of public importance without fear of retaliation is a cornerstone of what academics do. Without academic freedom and institutional autonomy, universities cannot serve the common good. However, today the rise of authoritarian movements and governments around the world has included deliberate and sustained attacks on academic institutions as well as the silencing of students, faculty, and staff. This webinar series initiates a conversation within the ISA about evolving threats to academic freedom around the world, how academic freedom is understood in different environments, and what can be done to defend academic freedom in an international context.
This first panel in the series examines the evolving threats to academic freedom around the world. Speakers will examine global trends, including the rise of the radical Right, while others speak to what attacks on academic freedom look like within particular countries. The panel will focus on understanding the underlying international contexts that give rise to current attacks on academic freedom around the world, as well as what resources exist to support faculty and how academics have fought back to preserve academic freedom.
Moderator/Chair: Carolyn Shaw (Chair, ISA’s Academic Freedom Committee).
Panelists: Audrey Truschke (Rutgers University–New Brunswick), Andrea Petö (Central European University), and Kasia Kaczmarska (University of Edinburgh).