This Interest Group aims to bring together scholars who work on, or are interested in exploring, issues related to academic freedom, university autonomy, and higher education worldwide. It welcomes researchers working in national and comparative contexts, with legal and interdisciplinary perspectives, including case-law from domestic courts as well as regional human rights bodies such as the European Court of Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
The Group approaches academic freedom through three interconnected dimensions: individual, safeguarding the rights of professors, researchers, students, and staff; institutional, ensuring protections for educational and research institutions, such as academic, administrative, and financial autonomy; and collective, recognising academic freedom as essential to the dissemination of knowledge to society and to scholars’ engagement in public debate.
Fernando Romani Sales, University of São Paulo, fernandoromanisales@gmail.com
Naz Yılancıoğlu, Maastricht University, nazyilancioglu@gmail.com
Siddharth Saxena, National Law School of India, ssaxena1798@gmail.com
Maria Fernanda Silva Assis, Federal University of Minas Gerais, mariafernandasilvaassis@gmail.com
Bryan Dennis Tiojanco, University of Tokyo, bryandennis.tiojanco@aya.yale.edu
Professor Adrienne Stone, University of Melbourne
Professor Tom Ginsburg, University of Chicago
Professor Liora Lazarus, University of British Columbia
Professor Conrado Hübner Mendes, University of São Paulo
Professor Dinesha Samararatne, University of Colombo
Professor Tarunabh Khaitan, London School of Economics
We encourage both theoretical and empirical research on how these dimensions are protected, contested, and regulated within national legal systems and across regional and global frameworks. The Group also support initiatives that examine how academic freedom is shaped by democratic erosion and illiberal governments, which often view scholars and academic institutions as adversaries and seek to co-opt their activities. It also looks at how academic freedom interacts with related rights such as free speech and the freedoms of assembly, association, and protest.
To join the interest group, please contact the convenors.
