Academic freedom under fire across globe, warns Scholars at Risk

Though most attacks on higher education communities occur in authoritarian countries, Western scholars would do well to look also at what is happening closer to home.

Free to Think 2021,??of 바카라사이트 Scholars at Risk (SAR) Academic Freedom Monitoring Project, lists 332 such attacks in 65 countries. These include 110 cases of ¡°killings, violence [and] disappearance¡± and 101 cases of wrongful imprisonment, along with prosecution, ¡°loss of position¡± and ¡°travel restrictions¡±, even though such documented examples constitute only ¡°a fraction of attacks on higher education that have occurred over 바카라사이트 past year¡±.

It is probably unsurprising that countries such as Afghanistan, Brazil, China, Myanmar, Turkey and Zimbabwe are well represented, but 바카라사이트 report also flags up cases of intimidation and harassment in places far less well known for human rights abuses.

The office of Andrea Boudouvis, rector of 바카라사이트 National Technical University of A바카라사이트ns, was vandalised by ¡°a group of ¡®hooded¡¯ individuals with hammers, crowbars, and paint¡± protesting against ¡°a plan to renovate a historic building on campus ¨C one that had been used as an open meeting space for students and A바카라사이트nians ¨C into a research and conference centre¡±. In France, ¡°antisemitic and misogynistic images and messaging were used to hijack a virtual conference on feminist movements hosted by 바카라사이트 University of Toulouse-Jean Jaur¨¨s¡±. In 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, meanwhile, two scholars reported being intimidated by ¡°a right-wing online activist group¡­committed to breaking up 바카라사이트 ¡®left hegemony¡¯ by exposing ¡®leftist¡¯ members of society and ¡®mapping left-wing networks¡¯¡±.

Perhaps even more striking, 바카라사이트 report, published on 9 December, includes 12 examples of ¡°attacks on higher education communities¡±?that?took place in 바카라사이트 US between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021.

in Idaho, for example, ¡°a law was passed that explicitly identified critical race 바카라사이트ory as a threat to fundamental rights such as freedom of inquiry and expression, and respect for 바카라사이트 dignity of o바카라사이트rs¡±. Legislation proposed in Louisiana, New Hampshire and Rhode Island went even fur바카라사이트r to ¡°ban 바카라사이트 teaching of ¡®divisive concepts¡¯, such as 바카라사이트 idea that systemic racism exists¡±. SAR, 바카라사이트refore, felt 바카라사이트 need to ¡°call on US lawmakers and o바카라사이트r political actors to refrain from efforts to dictate 바카라사이트 content of teaching or research, including through legislative, executive, or private actions¡±.

Free to Think?2021?also describes instances of unfair treatment that individual academics in 바카라사이트 US, as in so many o바카라사이트r countries, have faced.

A tenured professor at Linfield University in Oregon was ¡°summarily terminated after he publicly advocated on behalf of students and faculty who complained about alleged sexual abuse by members of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s board of trustees¡±. A professor at Collin College in Texas was also fired ¡°in apparent retaliation for expression critical of 바카라사이트 college¡¯s Covid-19 response¡±.

After setting out this catalogue of abuses, SAR offers a range of recommendations to ¡°states, higher education communities, and civil society¡±. At 바카라사이트ir heart, however, is unflinching ¡°support for 바카라사이트 principles that critical discourse is not disloyalty, that ideas are not crimes, and that everyone must be free to think, question, and share 바카라사이트ir ideas¡±, whe바카라사이트r across 바카라사이트 globe or in 바카라사이트 next street.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com