Academic Freedom Watch

The British Journal of Educational Studies has opened a call for papers for a special edition on academic freedom. The papers will be edited by Academics for Academic Freedom founder, Denis Hayes, and will be published in September 2009.

Editor of the BJES, James Arthur has given Academic Freedom Watch permission to reproduce his editorial.

The call for papers closes in January 2009.

EDITORIAL: ACADEMIC FREEDOM – A CALL FOR PAPERS

James Arthur

Originally published 19 Feb 2008

For whose benefit are our universities run – for students, academics or society? Are we responding to the wishes of students, the preferences of academics or the educational needs of society? Many of our universities have not answered these questions. One obvious reason is that universities are increasingly complicated places serving multiple constituencies that have conflicting agendas. Another far more complex reason is that the very nature, existence and rationale of the modern ‘market-model’ university is not entirely clear, since they often display a contradictory rhetoric of mission. In fact, some would argue that much of what is offered by way of curriculum in our universities is aimless and incoherent. This loss of purpose is not inconsequential, for to understand the modern university as a business that teaches skills to make students employable is not a ‘view from nowhere’, it is a philosophy of education. It is no less than the commercialisation of higher education which can result in universities having a weak grasp of the scope of their educational mission.

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There are still those who will defend the eighteenth-century enlightenment view of the modern university as a place of unhindered rational enquiry through which we can discover the basic elements of an appropriate education that, as they claim, exists currently in the majority of secular Western universities. Such enlightenment critiques take reason as the only authority, for nothing is beyond question or judgement as these critiques never doubt the power of reason. Challenging this version are the deconstructive and genealogical approaches. These post-modern views argue that ideas about education are not self-evident and are merely non-rational power relations. Thus, what should be studied, by whom, for how long, where and in what way are called into question. This ‘crisis’ of the modern university has led Alasdair McIntyre in his Three Versions of Moral Enquiry (University of Notre Dame Press, 1991) to analyse three visions of what academic formation in the modern university could be about. Whilst seeing much positive worth in both the enlightenment and post-modern critiques he advocates a third way found in the Aristotelian-Thomist tradition which views faith and reason as complementary. In this third way McIntyre raises the fundamental questions of the telos (end in view) of the university as well as the integration of subjects studied in the university and how they might contribute to the formation of the person inherent in ‘education’. These critiques of the university have clear implications for academic freedom because academic freedom is closely linked to the fundamental purposes and mission of the modern university. If the mission of the university is the pursuit of truth then free enquiry is essential within the academic community to achieve this goal. However, if the mission of the modern university continues to be problematic and undecided then it is important to ask, what is academic freedom? Who has it? What are its limits?

Academic Freedom, whether directly or indirectly, is increasingly under threat from politicians, business, the media and the general public today. One example is that the Council of the European Union has recently adopted a framework decision on the fight against racism and xenophobia: a decision which raises questions about the freedom of historical research. The Council wants to involve all the Member States of the European Union in legislation to criminalise the denial of genocides, notably the Holocaust; as is already the case in Germany, Austria and France. Within a time frame of two years, after the adoption of this framework decision, each Member State will be required to adopt matching legislation which makes provisions for a penalty of between one and three years’ imprisonment. Academics have always faced threats during times of war and civil crisis and continue to do so after 9/11 and the ensuing war on terrorism. Restrictive legislation on the scope of academic freedom is not new and continues around the world. Academic freedom is clearly a contested concept that needs to be argued for anew in each generation. It is why there are so many statements issued about academic freedom by universities and the fact there are many articles and books about the topic which chart the many ways to approach it.

Whilst academic freedom has a degree of ‘mystique’ surrounding it, the term is widely used with different meanings in different cultures. There are, nevertheless, in the West three commonly held parts to academic freedom: first, the freedom of academics to teach, to carry out research, and to publish it within the context of their university mission and the law; second, the freedom of academics to express their scholarly and non-scholarly views publicly; third, the freedom of academics (and students) to participate in university government and to criticise the institutions in which they do their work. Academic freedom is important because society needs safe places where academics can challenge conventional wisdom in any academic field. It also carries with it corresponding responsibilities. However, it needs to be recognised that there does not exist some unproblematic conception of academic freedom that is philosophically coherent.

Therefore we intend to publish a special edition on academic freedom in September 2009. This special issue will bring together a collection of high quality academic articles that will extend, refine and challenge our understanding of academic freedom. We invite papers on any aspect of academic freedom including its relationship to the mission of the university itself. We have invited Dennis Hayes, founder of Academics for Academic Freedom, to become editor of this special issue. Papers should be submitted through the normal BJES website and the deadline for papers is January 2009.

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