[Opinion] Column: Academic Freedom Means Rejecting Book Bans

Column: Academic freedom means rejecting book bans

While grading narrative essays in the school library when I was teaching, a parent tour entered. The parents focused on a bookcase full of books on display in the front of the library, with yellow caution tape draped across it — the same type you would see at a police crime scene. “Why is there caution tape across these books?” asked a parent. “These are books on the recent American Library Association’s Book Ban List,” responded the tour guide.…

MAINTENANCE. The president of the board of directors of the Ecole normale superieur Anne Bouverot believes that freedom of research is an invaluable opportunity for the Old Continent.

Academic Freedom vs. Freedom of Speech

The opinions of academics on current topics are more in demand than ever. As a public institution, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) offers space for discourse and debate. This can lead to tensions between academia and the public and between freedom of speech and academic freedom, especially when it comes to conflict-laden topics. In March 2024, the Academic Senate of HU adopted guidelines to provide researchers with recommendations for dealin…

Academic Freedom for Some: How New Zealand Universities Marginalise Pro-Israel Voices

New Zealand’s tertiary institutions are facing a crisis not only of sustainability or funding, but of intellectual credibility. Universities, once guardians of critical inquiry and scholarly independence, are increasingly captured by ideological orthodoxy. The most revealing symptom of this decay is the treatment of Israel — a litmus test that exposes just how far our […]