In times marked by escalating challenges to academic freedom, this episode unravels the essence of academic freedom, its significance, and the pressing need to safeguard it. From institutional repression and public curtailment to professional reprisals faced by academic staff due to their research findings and public advocacy, this episode explores one of the timeliest issues of our era. In conversation with Prof Toni Haastrup (University of Manchester), Dr Lewis Turner (Newcastle University), and Prof Joel Quirk (University of the Witwatersrand), host Polly Pallister-Wilkins (University of Amsterdam) tackles pivotal questions: What does academic freedom entail? And, more importantly, how can the scholarly community rally together to defend this fundamental principle?

Prof Toni Haastrup

Dr Lewis Turner

Prof Joel Quirk

British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) Committee on Academic Freedom

Kiwan, Dina (2024): Academic Freedom and the Transnational Production of Knowledge (Cambridge Education Research)