Title: Academic Freedom: A threat to Freedom of Learning in the university?

• In Event: Activism and Education Change (II)

Proposal

Academic freedom is broadly defined as the freedom of academics to conduct study as well
as the freedom of teachers and students to discuss and debate scholarly ideas without fear of
sanction, censure, or unconstitutional intervention (Bhargava 1999). It allows students and
faculty to research and study any topics they want, and to reach whichever conclusions they
draw from their finding (Nelson C 2010). Within the academic institution, academic freedom
entails the right to free inquiry. When universities are founded on intellectual freedom,
individuals are able to think freely and critically. It also expands the possibilities for debate
and disagreement in the university setting. Academic freedom includes the freedom to
visualize, cultivate a critical sense of thought, and challenge current processes in universities.
The pursuit of knowledge and freedom of speech, both of which are essential to human
liberty, play a critical role in the advancement of society.
We are seeing troubling trends these days, including assaults on academic freedom and
threats to it. Academic freedom is constantly being threatened by oppressive institutions or
governments around the world. Recent attacks on academic freedom have also been observed
in India (Sundar N 2018). It has included everything from restrictions on academic and
extracurricular activities to physical attacks on students. In response to Bhargava's statement
and observations on academic freedom, illiberal cultures posed a more severe threat to
academic freedom in India. As he describes in his article, the late historian Mushirul Hasan
was persecuted by radical Muslims for a seemingly harmless remark about Rushdie's Satanic
Verses being banned (Bhargava 1999). The question is, what is the current state of academic
freedom? Attacks on academic freedom have increased, perhaps as a result of a rise in social
intolerance. There has been a slew of recent cases of the government interfering with
academic freedom. This is exemplified by the omission of many relevant books from
university syllabi solely on non-academic grounds. State intervention has increased, with
vital pedagogical activities being sacrificed in the name of the government's national interest.
The ongoing persecution of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), according to the current
government, one of the country's premier academic institutions, exemplifies this (Tierney W
and Sabharwal N S 2016).
In this study, the researcher examined the perspectives of academic freedom in the university
space. The aim of this research was to explore and understand about the different meanings
and perspectives of faculty and research scholars in two leading universities i.e., JNU and DU
in India. The study focuses on how academic freedom affects knowledge growth in a
university space. Academic freedom is critical for the development of new ideas and
information. As a result, understanding the socio-political factors influencing academic
freedom in India in the twenty-first century is critical.
The researcher investigated this study using Habermas’ framework of the Public Sphere.
Taking inspiration from his work, the researcher has positioned university as a public sphere
where people engage in debates and arguments in the pursuit of truth. Fifty faculty members
and research scholars from social science background in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
and University of Delhi (DU) were surveyed through in-depth interviews as well as
telephonic interviews to gain a more in-depth understanding of different perspectives on
academic freedom and to recognise potential contestations or threats to academic freedom. A
purposive sampling technique was used in this research in order to investigate participants'
subjective experience.
The findings of the study reveals that there has been practices of self-censorship, bans of
certain topics of conferences and talks related to social issues resulting in hindrance to the
dissemination of knowledge in university spaces. The study also reveals due to the lack of
policy documents related to academic freedom, it is difficult to agree on what should be
protected in terms of freedom of thinking and research in the university. The study suggested
several recommendations establishing mechanisms regarding university autonomy and
campus freedom; and operationalization of academic freedom at the department levels within
universities.

Author

• Srishti Bhatia, National Institute of Education Planning and Administration