Geopolitics of Knowledge Production and Academic Freedom Under Authoritarianism

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

Academic knowledge production is highly complicated by political challenges in both democratic and authoritarian states. In contemporary Russia, scholars and students face persecution for political activism, academics are being threatened, fired and forced to leave the country. This is particularly frequent among social scientists, many of whom faced prosecution and arrests after the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The situation is getting more complicated taking into account the significant influence of patriotic and militaristic agenda of Russian universities. Yet, scholars come up with strategies of resistance to censorship both within and beyond academic institutions. While in general renowned scientists may find it easier to find academic positions abroad and retain their ability to engage in research after emigration, many Russian-speaking researchers faced complications related not to the quality of their research but to specific features of contemporary international science, sometimes described as “academic dependency” (Alatas, 2003). Political developments in the USA question further financial support for researchers worldwide and the viability of projects aimed at assisting academic communities, raising concerns about epistemic justice in ways of knowing (Fricker, 2013).

In this panel, speakers will focus on the practices of academic resistance, inequalities in knowledge production and issues with academic freedom in Russia.

Sub Unit

• Politics/Law

Chair

• Dmitry Dubrovskiy, Charles U in Prague (Czech Republic)

Roundtable Speakers

• Sofya Smyslova, U of Cambridge (UK)

• Dmitry Dubrovskiy, Charles U in Prague (Czech Republic)

• Yulia Sineokaya, Paris-1 Sorbonne Panthéon U (France)

• Arnold Khachaturov, EHESS (France)