Speakers:

Elżbieta Korolczuk, Institute for Advanced Study, Political Critique in Warsaw and Södertörn University;
Péter Balogh, Hungarian Academy of Sciences;
Jenny Gunnarsson Payne, Oleg Antonov and Ulla Manns, Södertörn University.

Moderator: Joakim Ekman, Director CBEES, and Ninna Mörner, Baltic Worlds, Södertörn University.

Academic freedom is under attack, although the methods of controlling, limiting, and influencing research and education may vary. However, varied the methods used to limit academic freedom might be, one obvious result of the restrictions is that fear is spreading: a fear that can give rise to self-imposed restrictions among academics and universities, as well as to actual alterations and “corrections” in the work produced. Restrictions on academic freedom make it difficult for individual academics, as well as certain disciplines, and even the entire university to conduct their activities. Yet, there is, a powerful resistance to all forms of attempts to limit academic freedom.

This seminar builds upon Baltic Worlds Special Issue on “Academic Freedom under threat”. There will be three up-dated presentations on the shrinking space in Poland, Hungary and Eurasia, to be followed by two comments on how to support scholars at risk and call for solidarity among academics across borders. The seminar will close with a wider discussion on how to protect academic freedom and work for international solidarity. Although academic freedom is threatened in the Baltic Sea area, Eastern Europe, and the post-socialist countries, this is not peculiar to the region, but rather a general trend that happens to find expression in the region, which the seminar will discuss.

Elżbieta Korolczuk discusses the growing anti-genderism in Poland and that the Gender Studies is targeted as academic discipline. Péter Balogh describes how governmental decisions and imposed legislation endanger the academic freedom in Hungary, for institutions as the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Oleg Antonov presents preliminary research results from an on-going study showing that Russia and the Central Asian republics of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan synchronically introduced similar anti-democratic measures to restrict freedom of academia, civil society, and political participation in response to major social and political events. Jenny Gunnarsson Payne is working in different forums with international solidarity among scholars. Ulla Manns represents Södertörn University in the global network Scholars at Risk. They will tell about the existing frameworks and give examples on how to respond.

The seminar closes with a wider discussion on how the protect academic freedom and the critical thinking that open societies rest upon.