Overview

Since the Arab Spring began in early 2010s, countless academics in the Middle East and North Africa (the MENA region) have been fired from their faculty positions in direct response to ideas expressed in their writing or teaching. In the most extreme cases, their lives have been threatened, and they have been forced to flee. This seminar will provide an introduction to the concept of “academic freedom,” put simply, the ability of faculty members and students to engage in intellectual debate without fear of censorship or retaliation

Many countries in the MENA region have known autocratic regimes throughout their modern existence. Examining case studies from the region, participants of the seminar will reflect on how academic freedom has been conceptualized, and how it functions in post-transitional societies today. The co-leaders of the seminar will use an interdisciplinary approach to demonstrate how restrictions on academic freedom have been a symptom of, as well as a result of, political upheavals. Participants will develop an understanding of how and why governments have targeted the academy, putting restrictions on academic freedom as a means to manage political dissent.