{"id":57575,"date":"2021-06-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-04T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=57575"},"modified":"2021-06-03T16:24:48","modified_gmt":"2021-06-03T20:24:48","slug":"universities-relevance-hinges-on-academic-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/universities-relevance-hinges-on-academic-freedom\/","title":{"rendered":"Universities\u2019 relevance hinges on academic freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Academic freedom is widely championed as the foundation of a\u00a0good university<\/a>. It is seen as vital in speaking \u201ctruth to power\u201d \u2013 to borrow from influential political philosopher\u00a0Hannah Arendt<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 and in ensuring universities are oriented towards the common good, not select elite interests.<\/p>\n

Academic freedom also ensures universities can lead research, education and public debates that are responsive to today\u2019s global challenges and crises, ensuring their relevance in a\u00a0volatile<\/a>\u00a0and complex world. In this way, universities help prepare graduates not simply for a career but also for a meaningful life in our \u201cuncertain and unequal world<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

The latest special issue of Australian Universities\u2019 Review is devoted to\u00a0Academic Freedom\u2019s Precarious Future<\/a>. Contributing authors identify how the pressures on universities in Australia and overseas are hindering academic freedom. The consequences are dire and broad-ranging. These trends raises questions about just who, and what interests, universities are intended to serve.<\/p>\n

Under this shadow, this special issue asks: what are the\u00a0conditions in which academic freedom can flourish<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Entangled with corporate and political interests<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Since their foundation in the 19th and early 20th centuries in Australia,\u00a0universities have been tied<\/a>\u00a0to the political concerns of the settler colonial nation state and the economic interests of global capitalism. Settler colonial power has always ensured its interests are\u00a0woven into the fabric of universities<\/a>\u00a0(alongside other institutions). The rise of corporate and neoliberal agendas over recent decades has reinforced these dynamics.<\/p>\n

Universities have become further entangled with vested interests, including the private sector and philanthro-capital, such as the controversial\u00a0Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation<\/a>. As\u00a0Andrew Bonnell<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Richard Hil<\/a>\u00a0set out in this special issue, these developments enable corporate and\u00a0political<\/a>\u00a0influence across research, curriculum and the very infrastructure of university campuses.<\/p>\n

The spread of neoliberal managerialism has also created a workplace culture of hyper-surveillance. This includes rigid performance appraisals, the use-value of research assessed via \u201cimpact\u201d criteria and other metrics, as well as student evaluations that can affect educators\u2019 careers. This bears down upon university staff and\u00a0crushes academic freedom<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Such practices have emerged alongside what\u00a0Jeannie Rea<\/a>\u00a0describes as increasingly precarious work and funding. Academics are encouraged to compete with \u2013 rather than care for \u2013 one another. This erodes collegiality and collective organising.<\/p>\n

These workplace conditions and culture are at odds with the pursuit of academic freedom. Yet rather than turning the spotlight on the structural forces that curtail it, conservative interests frequently hijack debates about academic freedom. This distracts attention from the very real freedoms that are under threat, as\u00a0Rob Watts<\/a>\u00a0argues.<\/p>\n

A crucial issue in times of crisis<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Crisis is now all too familiar<\/a>, threatening ecologies, human life and livelihoods. We are grappling with the climate emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic, structural racism, sexual violence and more. These are all redefining our relations with one another, including both the human and non-human world.<\/p>\n

In the midst of such crises, contributors to this\u00a0special issue<\/a>\u00a0consider the purpose and responsibilities of universities, as well as the rights and interests they might support. The defence of academic freedom is identified as being vital to, and intertwined with, teaching, research, advocacy and service that are responsive to the conditions of our volatile world.<\/p>\n

Academic freedom can provide the mandate for universities \u2013 their staff, students and graduates \u2013 to move through the world with purpose, care, and even love. This includes acting on the responsibilities that come with recognising that universities are part of, and in relationship with, diverse ecologies, people and the\u00a0unceded territories<\/a>\u00a0on which they sit.<\/p>\n

Creating the conditions for academic freedom<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Jeannie Rea<\/a>\u00a0describes the vital work of\u00a0Scholars at Risk<\/a>\u00a0in defending academic freedom. They include those who speak out against military, religious and state regimes, often jeopardising their lives to do so.<\/p>\n

Gerd E. Schroder-Turk<\/a>\u00a0provides the compelling case for good governance. His essay includes a critique of the ways university councils are able to self-select external members. As a result, universities are increasingly governed by those with little expertise in teaching and research.<\/p>\n

Peter Greste and Fred D\u2019Agostino<\/a>\u00a0differentiate academic freedom from broader freedom of speech debates. They then consider some of the responsibilities that might underpin academic freedom.<\/p>\n

In the afterword to this special issue, Canadian scholar\u00a0Sharon Stein<\/a>\u00a0(and member of the\u00a0Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures<\/a>\u00a0collective) sets out the conditions in which academic freedom may flourish. This includes valuing diverse knowledges, practising intellectual humility and embracing difficult conversations. It also includes acknowledging our interdependence with one other, and with the non-human world.<\/p>\n

The hope is this special issue moves academics, policymakers and diverse publics towards engagement with these ideas, leading to outcomes that support the conditions needed for academic freedom to flourish. This will be vital if universities are to have purpose and a meaningful place in facing the uncertainties of our lifetime.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Kristen Lyons is <\/span>Professor Environment and Development Sociology at The University of Queensland<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Academic freedom is widely championed as the foundation of a\u00a0good university. It is seen as vital in speaking \u201ctruth to power\u201d \u2013 to borrow from influential political philosopher\u00a0Hannah Arendt\u00a0\u2013 and in ensuring universities are oriented towards the common good, not select elite interests. Academic freedom also ensures universities can lead research, education and public debates […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":57576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[12484],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-57575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-higher-education","tag-academic-freedom-2"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUniversities\u2019 relevance hinges on academic freedom - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/universities-relevance-hinges-on-academic-freedom\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Universities\u2019 relevance hinges on academic freedom - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Academic freedom is widely championed as the foundation of a\u00a0good university. 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