Osbaldiston, Nick (2025) Challenging Academic Freedom. In: Collyer, Fran M., (ed.) Research Handbook on the Sociology of Knowledge. Research Handbooks in Sociology series . Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, pp. 467-487. (In Press)

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Abstract

Across the world, the principles of academic freedom are challenged by state and non-state actors. In recent times, there has been concerted effort by scholars and organisations such as the Global Colloquium of University Professors (GCUP) to defend academic freedom and reinscribe its importance in university systems. However, in this chapter I argue that this value is situated within difficult terrain. In particular, the short-term instrumental rationality of the university today, as foreseen by Veblen, values certain goals and ambitions that do not align well with academic freedom. Research and teaching in many universities, have market value, which does not necessarily imbue the sorts of freedom for the scholar proposed by academic freedom. Furthermore, as academics begin and maintain their careers, being able to teach and research where truth may lead, is difficult in an organisational structure underpinned by an audit culture. In this chapter, I examine this matter while proposing some potential ways forward to maintain or reintroduce academic freedom as an ongoing value for institutions and academics to hold.

Item ID:	86080
Item Type:	Book Chapter (Research - B1)
ISBN:	978 1 80037 663 2
Keywords:	academic freedom; sociology of knowledge; higher education; social theory
Related URLs:	Publisher
Copyright Information:	This Author Accepted Manuscript is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.
Date Deposited:	15 Jul 2025 04:03
FoR Codes:	44 HUMAN SOCIETY > 4410 Sociology > 441005 Social theory @ 100%
SEO Codes:	16 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 1601 Learner and learning > 160102 Higher education @ 100%
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