Academics Protesting Digitally: Examining Online Academic Protests #IchbinHanna (Germany) and #WeDoNotAcceptWeDoNotGiveUp (Turkey)

• In Event: Navigating Power, Protest, and Mobility: Critical Perspectives on Faculty and Academics Roles Globally

Proposal

Digital platforms have become a critical space for academic protests, allowing scholars to collectively voice dissent and advocate for institutional reforms (Mercea, 2012; Brennan, 2018; Sorce and Dumitrica, 2022). They constitute an essential space for academics to mobilize and protest against precarious working conditions, job insecurity, and violation of academic freedom and the commercialization of higher education. These movements emphasize a broader neoliberal and/or authoritarian shift within higher education over academic welfare, autonomy, and democratic participation (Pabian, Petr, and Minksová, 2012; Akpojivi, 2023). This paper explores the growing trend of digital academic protests, where social media campaigns, online petitions, and virtual mobilization play a pivotal role in amplifying issues such as labor precarity, academic freedom, and institutional governance. It focuses on two cases, more specifically two X (formerly Twitter) movements titled #IchBinHanna in Germany and #WeDoNotAcceptWeDoNotGiveUp in Turkey, both started in the same year, in 2021, and created impact transnationally.
The #IchBinHanna movement has addressed the long-standing issues of job insecurity and academic precarity in Germany (Dirnagl, 2022; Bahr, Eichhorn, and Kuborn, 2022; Antentas, 2022) By bringing these concerns into the public eye, it has challenged the existing academic employment model and sparked a much-needed dialogue about reforming labor conditions in higher education. This movement not only underscores the precarious realities faced by many academics but also highlights the need for systemic changes that prioritize researchers' well-being and long-term career prospects. In Germany, approximately 90% of academic staff below the level of full professors are employed on temporary contracts, making it one of the highest levels of precarious academic employment in Europe (Gallas, 2018; Özgür, 2022). This situation is exacerbated by the lack of alternative career opportunities within academia, making the future of many researchers dependent on unstable and temporary positions. The #IchBinHanna movement raised critical questions about the sustainability of this employment model, advocating for systemic reform that ensures better job security, career progression, and research freedom for scholars.
The #WeDoNotAcceptWeDontGiveUp movement emerged in Turkey in 2021 as an online protest started by academics, alumni, and students against government interference in university autonomy (Burak, 2024) It was sparked by the appointment of a government-aligned rector, to Boğaziçi University by President Erdoğan, bypassing traditional democratic procedures. (Gambetti, 2022) The movement has been significant for its defense of academic freedom, democratic governance in universities, and opposition to the increasing politicization of higher education in Turkey. Participants utilized social media platforms to amplify their voices, protest the erosion of institutional independence, and mobilize international solidarity (O'Brien, 2021; Gökarıksel, 2022) This digital movement reflected broader concerns about authoritarianism and the shrinking space for dissent in Turkey, with the academic community playing a critical role in standing against political encroachment on educational institutions.
Through an analysis of these movements, the study aims to contribute to the higher education literature on how academics leverage social media to raise awareness, engage in collective action, and demand academic freedom and reforms to labor policies. By comparing the impact and scope of these two online academic protest movements, this paper offers insights into the evolving nature of academic resistance in the digital age.

Author

• Ece Cihan Ertem, University of Vienna