Protest and the Democratic University: A Historical-Sociological Inquiry into Campus Activism and Institutional Power, 1945–2024

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: From the University to the Neighborhood: Activism and Mobilization to Remember, Resist, and Reimagine Educational Justice and Renewal

Abstract

This historical-sociological study traces the evolving relationship between protest and U.S. higher education from 1945 to 2024, analyzing how universities have functioned simultaneously as sites of dissent and as agents of institutional control. Through archival records, policy documents, and historiographical synthesis, the paper examines key waves of student activism—from civil rights and Vietnam-era resistance to Black Lives Matter and Gaza-related protests—and the varied institutional responses they provoked. The study integrates critical university studies, political sociology, and memory theory to reveal how protest has shaped and been shaped by university governance, ideology, and discourse. By “unforgetting” historical protest cycles, this research offers forward-looking insights for ethically engaging with student activism in increasingly polarized educational and political landscapes.

Author

• Yi Wu, Pennsylvania State University