85. Academic freedom in an authoritarian world Passed
Friday November 24, 2023 15:30 - 16:30 CET Elin
Moderator: Karin Zackari
Panelists: Marina Svensson, Rouzbeh Parsi, Terence Karran
Today, more than half of the world's population live in countries where academic freedom is in decline. Only 0.7 percent live in countries where academic freedom has been strengthened in the last decade.
The threats to higher education are typically different in autocracies and democracies. However, in the past ten years, attacks on academic freedom have increased also in democracies.
Academic freedom can be defined as the right and freedom to research and teach, to exchange and disseminate knowledge and cultural expressions. It is also the enjoyment of institutional autonomy and campus integrity.
Academic freedom is not only a matter for universities but is of significant value for the whole of society. It is a set of principles that must be in place to guarantee equitable access to education.
What is at stake when the conditions for higher education are attacked? What kind of attacks are directed at scholars and students? What is needed to protect and strengthen academic freedom?
The panel consists of regional experts and experts in higher education. The panel addresses the state of academic freedom globally and the current conditions in the Nordic countries, in China, Iran and the Middle East.
Organizer
Mänskliga rättighetsstudier, Lunds universitet
Ämnestagg
Rätten till utbildning
Demokrati
Fred och konflikt
Målgrupp
Forskare
Tjänstepersoner (kommun, region, statlig myndighet)
Lecturers
Karin Zackari Moderator
Lunds universitet
Karin Zackari is a researcher and lecturer in human rights and history at Lund University. She is a member of Scholars at Risk at Lund University and has been engaged as a speaker on several occasions to talk about academic freedom in Thailand and globally.
Marina Svensson Panelist
Lunds universitet
Marina Svensson is Professor of Modern China Studies and the director of the Centre for East- and Southeast Asian Studies at Lund University. Svensson's research focuses on different topics related to contemporary Chinese society, such as Human Rights, cultural heritage, journalism and media, China’s digital society, documentary film and photography, digital ethnography. Svensson is a frequent commentator on challenges to academic freedom in China and the implications this has for education and research on China.
Rouzbeh Parsi Panelist
Utrikespolitiska institutet
Rouzbeh Parsi is Head of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. He was one of the founders of the interdisciplinary educational program in human rights studies in 2003 at Lund University. Parsi is a frequently invited commentator in Swedish and international media on issues relating to military interventions, nuclear proliferation, sanctions, mediation etc. in the Middle East and Iran.
Terence Karran Panelist
Terence Karran is Emeritus Professor of Higher Education Policy at Lincoln University, UK.
Karran has published extensively on academic freedom with one of his latest articles titled "Academic freedom in Scandinavia: has the Nordic model survived?". Karran has also worked for the World Bank Institute's Global Development Learning Network for Latin America and the Caribbean. Karran's writing spans topics such as e-learning, the European Credit Transfer System and the impact of the Bologna Process on higher education.