Knowledge under Pressure: Defending Academic Freedom in Contentious Times

Session Submission Type: Invited Session (90 minute)

Description

In early 2025, the financial infrastructure and autonomy of academic institutions and knowledge production came under attack. This invited SKAT panel features scholars who speak directly to the impact of increasing federal oversight of academic budgets, admissions and hiring, and policies around free speech and student activism. Panelists will explore the implications of reductions in research funding, mandates to reduce diversity and inclusion, crackdowns on free speech and protests against the genocide in Gaza, immigration raids on campuses, and the ability to research topics as diverse as climate change and trans affirming healthcare. Panelists will also attend to specific challenges that scholars in science/technology studies have faced.

Sub Unit

• Science, Knowledge, and Technology Section / Knowledge under Pressure: Defending Academic Freedom in Contentious Times

Presider

• Claire Laurier Decoteau, University of Illinois-Chicago

Panelists

• Ruha Benjamin, Princeton University

• Erin A. Cech, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

• Gil Eyal, Columbia University

• Jason Owen-Smith, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

• Janet K. Shim, University of California-San Francisco

Session Organizer

• Claire Laurier Decoteau, University of Illinois-Chicago