Panel discussion
Freedom of science! Transnational perspectives on a contested idea
Our discussion will focus on the global impact of right-wing populism, authoritarianism and racist discourses on academic freedom. We will explore how war and social tensions exacerbate hostility towards critical research, while researchers face repression, exile and precarious working conditions. The conversation will also look at how researchers can support each other in these difficult times.
With:
- Hanna Al-Taher, research associate, Institute of Political Science, TU Dresden
- Bengi Aslan, project manager, Off-University. Organization for Peace e.V.
- Tuba İnal-Çekiç, postdoc, TU Darmstadt
- Markus Dressler, professor of modern Turkish studies, Institute of Religious Studies, Leipzig University
- Ülker Sözen, research associate, Institute of Religious Studies, Leipzig University
- Moderation: Andrea Behrends, professor of social and cultural anthropology, Institute of Ethnology, Leipzig University
Authoritarian politics are on the surge in our current times at a global scale, accompanied by right-wing populism and racist and sexist discourses. Academic freedoms, especially in the field of humanities and social sciences, are profoundly affected in this context. The war in Gaza has further exposed the racist structures and colonial sentiments in the Global North, specifically in Germany that is struggling with social and political complications broadly associated with migration. This development has unsettling repercussions in academia, materializing in the growing surveillance, and restrictions of academic freedoms. The political vulnerabilities of academics are further aggravated by their work-related precarity. The majority of academic staff in Germany lack job security and their livelihoods depend on short-term contracts and scholarships, which is a more acute exigency for racialized, working class academics and those with a migrant status.
Our panel aims to outline how academic freedoms are threatened worldwide and what the consequences are. Furthermore, we would like to discuss what can be done to improve the situation and how researchers can support each other. We intend to address these issues by reflecting on the example of Peace Academics” in Turkey, “Off University” in Germany, and the current situation of German academia.