Political Economy of Academic Freedom, Authoritarianism, and Exiled Scholars' Networks

• In Event: 30421 - Section on Global and Transnational Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 8. Uncertain Knowledge and their Epistemic Communities

Abstract

This paper examines the political economy of academic freedom and proposes a typology of forms of repression by analyzing the global networks of exiled scholars. I argue that there is a connection between income levels and academic freedom, and that current quantitative measurements of academic freedom worldwide reveal intriguing trends among countries categorized by income per capita. Based on these trends and the diverse forms of oppression targeting academic freedom, I contend that strategies developed by authoritarian governments and institutions in countries from which scholars are exiled are increasingly being adopted by universities in high-income countries. In other words, the authoritarian repertoire of infringing on academic freedoms is becoming a model for illiberal (or potentially illiberal) governments in the West. Democratic backsliding on a global scale has led to a mass exodus of scholars and intellectuals from authoritarian countries over the last decade. This “epistemic community of exiled scholars” joined and built global solidarity networks in exile. A closer examination of how solidarity networks are established, how they operate, and their significance for exiled scholars could help us rethink solidarity—its potentials, prospects, and the conditions necessary for academic freedom and freedom of expression. Additionally, the resistance and coping mechanisms employed by exiled scholars can serve as a model for scholars in high-income countries. Methodologically, this research is based on participant observation within exiled scholar networks, in-depth interviews with exiled scholars hosted by a consortium of universities primarily located in high-income countries, and quantitative data from the Academic Freedom Index and the World Bank.

Author

• Nazan Bedirhanoglu, Xavier University