Academic Freedom and Illiberal Democracy

Across the globe, democratic systems are under increasing stress. One of the most visible and consequential manifestations of this is the growing political and social pressure on so called countervailing institutions: institutions that seek and speak truthful knowledge, in the process often helping us to imagine and develop alternative ways of seeing and doing things. Academia is such an institution, as are journalism and the arts. Their freedoms are essential pillars of liberal democracy and are protected under international human rights law.

While academic, artistic and journalistic freedoms are often discussed separately, they are deeply interconnected. Not only are the pressures brought to bear on them largely the same, pressures on one also often reinforce vulnerabilities in the others – particularly in contexts of political polarisation, disinformation, institutional erosion and rapid technological change. At the same time, responses to such developments remain fragmented across disciplines, sectors and national contexts. These pressures, how institutions deal with them, and how to make them and the democratic societies they serve more robust is what this year’s NIAS Theme Group on Academic Freedoms in Context is set to research—and discuss on stage.

Sari Hanafi will argue, however, that academia, the arts, and journalism do need to take some crucial steps if they want to be able to successfully weather the storm. In making liberal democracy more robust, what challenges lie ahead for these key democratic institutions?

👉 Please register below. There are a limited number of places, so be sure to reserve yours soon.