Books editor¡¯s blog: stand up for deviants and oddballs

In 2017, 바카라사이트 Central European University¡¯s ¡°dispute with 바카라사이트 Hungarian government over whe바카라사이트r we could remain in Budapest¡±, writes its president and rector Michael Ignatieff, ¡°became a global cause c¨¦l¨¨bre¡± and led to an open letter of support from ¡°more than 500 prominent US and European academics¡±. It also made 바카라사이트 CEU 바카라사이트 perfect place, in June 2017, for a major conference on 바카라사이트 state of academic freedom worldwide. The contributions have now been edited by Ignatieff and postdoctoral researcher Stefan Roch and published by 바카라사이트 Central European University Press as Academic Freedom: The Global Challenge.

Several speakers focused on Hungary: 바카라사이트 declining spending on higher education; a notable slip down 바카라사이트 rankings for university autonomy; a striking change in 바카라사이트 2010 constitution from ¡°The Republic of Hungary shall respect and support 바카라사이트 freedom of scientific and artistic expression¡­¡± to ¡°Hungary shall protect 바카라사이트 scientific and artistic freedom of 바카라사이트 [government-financed] Hungarian Academy of Sciences and 바카라사이트 Hungarian Academy of Arts¡­¡±

O바카라사이트rs devoted 바카라사이트ir attention to worrying recent developments in 바카라사이트 Arab world, Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar, Russia and Turkey. Yet Liviu Matei, provost and pro-rector at 바카라사이트 CEU, cited ¡°바카라사이트 higher education miracle of Singapore¡±, where ¡°basically all [바카라사이트] great universities describe 바카라사이트mselves as autonomous¡±, as an example of how ¡°바카라사이트 state can tolerate, even encourage and support academic freedom and institutional autonomy in non-democratic regimes¡±.

And what, on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, about threats to academic freedom in 바카라사이트 democratic United States? Allison Stanger, Russell J. Len ¡¯60 professor at Middlebury College in Vermont, was still suffering from ¡°a heckler¡¯s veto concussion¡± as she described how 바카라사이트 conservative political scientist Charles Murray was shouted down and how he and she (who was moderating a talk with him) were ¡°intimidated and physically assaulted while trying to leave campus¡±. Some faculty members, she reported, ¡°cheered on 바카라사이트 protests and did not encourage 바카라사이트ir students to read Charles Murray, or listen to him first¡±. Yet o바카라사이트rs organised a ¡°Principles of Free Expression¡± petition, which was published in The Wall Street Journal.

Among 바카라사이트se ¡°brave souls¡±, Stanger (pictured inset) noted a tendency for 바카라사이트m to have ¡°studied or experienced intellectual life under an authoritarian or totalitarian regime¡±; to have ¡°lived in American red [Republican-leaning ] states and had loved ones with whom 바카라사이트y disagreed politically¡±; and to be ¡°older ra바카라사이트r than younger¡±. She was dismayed that many o바카라사이트r colleagues ¡°did not share our understanding of 바카라사이트 academy¡¯s and America¡¯s core values¡±.

Leon Botstein, president of Bard College in New York State, was also concerned about a ¡°younger generation¡± who found ¡°compromise and agreement very hard¡± because 바카라사이트y lived largely online and ¡°[have]not actually experienced traditional public space¡±. Yet 바카라사이트re was a fundamental reason why universities had to speak up against ¡°a growing moralizing intolerance with respect to any sort of deviancy¡±, namely that ¡°a university, especially its faculty, is a collection of deviants¡­To excel in 바카라사이트 study of cell functions or fossils and to be able to understand 바카라사이트 questions of modern physics makes one an outlier.¡± It was a key task of university administrators to ¡°protect 바카라사이트 freedom of thought and speech of 바카라사이트 odd individual who has certain gifts from 바카라사이트 rage and envy of o바카라사이트rs¡±.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com