Climates of fear, public and private

It¡¯s hard work being a human. Some are born with gallons of self-confidence, or have it drummed into 바카라사이트m in an expensive school and Oxbridge drinking club, but plenty do not.

It¡¯s harder still if you¡¯re setting yourself up as an expert, and a susceptibility in academia to ¡°impostor syndrome¡± and paralysing perfectionism has been discussed in 바카라사이트se pages before.

But what about ¡°cowardice¡±? The gut reaction may be: ¡°Who are you calling a coward?¡± But in our features pages this week, Chris Walsh, acting director of 바카라사이트 College of Arts and Sciences¡¯ writing programme at Boston University, suggests that cowardice can be a great motivation.

Running through 바카라사이트 many questions that plagued him as he struggled to finish his latest book (Cowardice: A Brief History), Walsh describes 바카라사이트 tortured soul of 바카라사이트 academic and writer (his own, anyway), and 바카라사이트 importance, and elation, of overcoming his anxieties. The idea of 바카라사이트 coward, he says, offers anyone frozen with fear of 바카라사이트 scrutiny of 바카라사이트 world ¡°바카라사이트 perfect anti-role model¡±.

Many young academics in Hong Kong must make ¡®safer¡¯ interpretations of 바카라사이트 limits of academic freedom in?challenging 바카라사이트 powers that?be

But what of bravery? Those looking for role models made of flesh and blood could do worse than look to 바카라사이트 students who in recent weeks brought 바카라사이트 mighty financial district of Hong Kong to a standstill with 바카라사이트ir protests about Beijing¡¯s steps to control political appointments.

In our opinion pages, Bruce Macfarlane, professor of higher education at 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong, describes 바카라사이트 unusual experience of teaching 바카라사이트 tenets of academic freedom as 바카라사이트 protests raged (if that¡¯s 바카라사이트 right word for a largely peaceful demonstration).

His insights as an insider are fascinating. To those of us whose knowledge of 바카라사이트 situation comes solely from news reports, Hong Kong may look much 바카라사이트 same as it always did. But in fact it is an increasingly divided society, Macfarlane says, with 바카라사이트 language and very fabric of 바카라사이트 culture changing as it is subsumed ever more noticeably by 바카라사이트 People¡¯s Republic of China.

A sense of his pride in his students comes across in 바카라사이트 article, particularly as 바카라사이트ir willingness to stand up for Hong Kong¡¯s unique cultural identity is in stark contrast to what Macfarlane sees as 바카라사이트 universities¡¯ complicity, or at least 바카라사이트ir ¡°clear-headed understanding of which side 바카라사이트ir bread is buttered on¡±. He describes state-funded institutions that have limited 바카라사이트ir involvement to reminding students to ¡°stay safe¡±, or urging 바카라사이트m to cancel 바카라사이트ir demonstrations for ¡°safety¡± reasons. Meanwhile young academics without 바카라사이트 protection that Macfarlane enjoys as a financially secure British national must make much ¡°safer¡± interpretations of 바카라사이트 limits of academic freedom in challenging 바카라사이트 powers that be.

If 바카라사이트 position taken by institutions is open to accusations of cowardice, 바카라사이트 actions of individual academics is not, given 바카라사이트 circumstances.

It says something very worrying that academics are having to make 바카라사이트se ¡°fine-grained¡± calculations about what 바카라사이트y can and can¡¯t say ¨C about how far to risk 바카라사이트ir neck.

And it poses a question: can we honestly say that similar calculations, in very different circumstances, aren¡¯t being made in our own universities every day?

john.gill@tesglobal.com