Academic freedom is declining around the world, and the trend cannot be explained solely by the actions of authoritarian regimes focused on repression and censorship, warns Scholars at Risk in a new report.
What you need to know
Academic freedom is in decline in many countries, including those with democratic traditions, according to a new report.
Only about 10% of the 179 countries considered by the Academic Freedom Index have seen their situation in this area improve in the last year.
The demonstrations sparked by the attack of October 7, 2023 and the military offensive in Gaza notably led American elected officials to demand legislative reforms to force universities to crack down.
The ongoing erosion is also observable in several democratic countries, a situation “deeply worrying” in the eyes of the president of the organization, Robert Quinn.
The demonstrations sparked by the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 in Israel and the offensive which followed in the Gaza Strip generated numerous criticisms and pushed American elected officials in particular to demand legislative changes to the supervision of universities likely to to compromise their operation.
PHOTO CS MUNCY, THE NEW YORK TIMES ARCHIVES
Students denouncing the Israeli military intervention in Gaza at the encampment on the grounds of Columbia University in New York last April
“In the United States, politicians who sharply criticized, 15 or 20 years ago, the desire of communist regimes to control their populations are demanding laws specifying what can or cannot be said on campus and the subjects on which we can can do research,” notes Mr. Quinn.
Daily life The Guardian reported Wednesday that the leader of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, Steve Scalise, raised a few days ago in a meeting with an influential pro-Israeli group the idea of sanctioning any university that tolerates demonstrations critical of the operation military in progress in Gaza.
PHOTO JAMIE KELTER DAVIS, THE NEW YORK TIMES ARCHIVES
The leader of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, Steve Scalise
He specified, as part of a discussion officially on the fight against anti-Semitism, that establishments slow to act could find themselves deprived of federal funds in the event of a victory by Donald Trump in the presidential election in November.
“A lot of people don’t really understand the role of universities,” notes Quinn.
Restriction of the right to demonstrate
The Scholars at Risk report notes that several institutions have hastily changed their rules to restrict the right to protest, sometimes without real consultation with the university community.
Security considerations have also been cited several times to cancel conferences featuring speakers dealing with the conflict in Gaza or other controversial subjects.
Activists defending minority groups have also forced the cancellation of several conferences through their interventions, notes Mr. Quinn, who says he is more concerned by pressure tactics focused on the use of laws than by those relying on social stigma.
The study conducted by Scholars at Risk does not make it possible to quantify the relative importance of the two phenomena, since the number of attacks recorded in the report only “captures” part of the situation in the United States and elsewhere. .
The organization has identified more than 390 attacks of all kinds against students, teachers and higher education institutions spread across 51 countries from 1er July 2023 to June 30, 2024.
Armed conflicts have led to the destruction of numerous universities in Gaza, but also in Ukraine and Sudan, where a bloody civil war has led to the almost complete cessation of all forms of research and teaching.
The stifled protest
Several states have sought to stifle protest movements by “arresting, attacking or beating” students and teachers. The scenario was observed in particular in Iran, in Bangladesh before the fall of the regime in August, as well as in Mali, where an economist contesting the government’s propaganda methods received two years of imprisonment.
PHOTO RAJIB DHAR, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
In July, Bangladesh closed the country’s schools after six people died during protests against a reform allowing the return of quotas in public jobs. University students then demanded justice and the reopening of campuses.
Authoritarian countries like Venezuela and China have sought over the past year to strengthen their control over universities through administrative reforms. Beijing notably merged committees representing the Communist Party at the management of nine establishments to increase its influence.
According to the Academic Freedom Index, which is compiled from the testimonies of more than 2,800 experts, only 10% of the 179 countries considered have recorded gains in academic freedom over the last year.1.
Canada, with a score of 0.86 on a scale of 0 to 1, is in the top third of the ranking, which is dominated by Belgium with a score of 0.98. North Korea comes last with a score of 0.01.
According to the most recent count, around 2.8 billion people now live in countries with measures ensuring “robust” protection of academic autonomy, 25% fewer than in 2006.
The deterioration of the situation requires a “global response”, notes Robert Quinn, who urges States to adopt policies to ensure the free circulation of ideas.
1. Check out the Academic Freedom Index