1. Academic freedom Work Group 2 Tatyana Bajenova Janja Komljenovic Miguel Lim Tore Bernt Sorensen Chris Muellerleile Jana Bacevic

2. Background and context Academic freedom one of key terms in the debates and discussions around higher education Salient issue for the relationship between universities, the state, and the public sphere Regulates the work and working lives of academics Raises other issues (relationship to other human rights/freedoms, limitations to freedom of expression, distinction between “public” and “private” engagement of academics…)

3. Illustration: The Salaita Case Tenured professor at Virginia Tech—offered job at U of Illinois, 2014 His appointment is publicized by the University As late as July, 2014, U of I defends Salaita’s public comments Job “offer” revoked in late August 2014 citing AF of students Center for Constitutional Rights defends the case saying it “ constitutes ‘viewpoint discrimination,’ a violation of the First Amendment, and also threatens academic freedom by punishing a faculty member for speaking as a citizen on a critical issue”

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5. Questions Who defines academic freedom? Who owns academic freedom? Who exercises academic freedom? In what time and place? (context, context, context ) Is it positively or negatively defined? Normative or descriptive? What are the limits of/boundaries to academic freedom?

6. For a “broader” concept of academic freedom? (Butler 2006) Pros Cons “Weak” liberal concept of academic freedom cannot provide sufficient protection for the freedom/right to be exercised Embededness in other regimes or discourses of human rights; cannot expect specific provisions to extend universally Freedom should extend beyond cases where subjects are free to move and have sufficient material conditions Principled defense allows to distinguish between individuals, not only institutions Allows for defending against extremist attitudes in and off campus “Balance of views”

7. Main points for discussion Tensions between general approaches and decisions on a case-to-case basis Relationship between AF and power (of the state, but also of individuals to exercise it) Balance of views vs. unacceptable views Role of material conditions (neoliberalism comparable with Occupation?) Tensions between expectations for academic engagement and academic freedom (requirements of the genre, e.g. Tweeting)