Project title

Bridging Gaps in International Law on Academic Freedom and State Responsibility: A Latin American Approach

Research question

How can international bodies through a hermeneutical interpretation of international-law bridge normative gaps to effectively regulate academic freedom and enforce State responsibility in LatinAmerica

Project description

International law remains fragmented and inconsistent in its regulation of academic freedom and state responsibility. David Gómez Gamboa bridges this gap by developing a Latin American approach that draws on the Universal and Inter-American human rights systems, whose legal frameworks, including the Inter-American Principles, provide grounds for enforcement.

Through hermeneutical interpretation of both hard and soft law, the project defines academic freedom as an independent, enabling right closely tied to democracy. It examines this right along four axes: its core attributes, protected subjects, and reach beyond the university; its limitations under interdependent standards relating to expression, education, and assembly; its intersection with non-discrimination within safe classrooms; and the classroom as an open forum against indoctrination.

Combining comparative documentary analysis with case studies of domestic and international law, and drawing on empirical monitoring data from the Latin American Observatory of NGO Aula Abierta, the project traces the evolution of academic freedom advocacy between 2017 and 2027, examining how civil society supports UN and Inter-American bodies. In addressing the lack of effective international sanctions, it advocates for a stronger hermeneutical approach by international bodies to ensure state accountability.

Selected publications

  • 2026. Commentary accepted for publication (on May 12, 2026): The Erosion of Academic Freedom in Venezuela: International Human Rights Law, Authoritarian Practice, and Implications for Knowledge Communication. Authors: Ricardo Villalobos Fontalvo and David Gomez Gamboa. Journal of Science Communication.
  • 2023. Research Article: Academic freedom: A view from the Inter-American system of human rights. Authors: David Gómez Gamboa and Ricardo Villalobos Fontalvo. Nethelands Quaterly of Human Ridhts (NQHR). Volume 41, Issue 2. Netherlands Institute of Human Rights – Utrecht University.
  • 2022. Book: The academy in exile book series. Chapter: Academic Freedom and the Untold Story of Venezuelan Scholars under Pressure; coauthored with Lizzy van Dijk. In collaboration with scholars from the “Research Cluster “Regions of Conflict in Eastern Europe”. Freie Universität Berlin”. Center for International Cooperation. Berlin. Germany.
  • 2022. Research Article: The Inter-American Principles on Academic Freedom and University Autonomy. Journal: Dikaiosyne, journal of practical philosophy, edited by the Grupo de Investigaciones Filosofía. Derecho y Sociedad (GSOFID) of the Centro de Investigaciones Jurídicas, Universidad de Los Andes. Nº 37 ISSN 1316-7839. Special issue on Human Rights, co-published with the Human Rights Observatory of the Universidad de Los Andes Universidad de Los Andes. Mérida – Venezuela. Pages 258-287). Venezuela.