Academic Freedom Under Autocracy

Across the globe, in democracies and authoritarian regimes alike, universities face intensifying attacks on academic freedom, scientific research, and the legitimacy of their institutional standing. In response, SIPA’s Technology, Policy & Innovation concentration, Columbia World Projects, the Committee on Global Thought, and the Initiative for Policy Dialogue, is launching a new, interdisciplinary series of talks: The Future of Academic Freedom: Universities and the Erosion of Democratic Norms.

The first panel in this series, "Academic Freedom Under Autocracy," will address how academic institutions survive under autocratic regimes, with a look at the pressures — political, ideological, financial — they have faced in countries such as Hungary and India, as well as clear parallels that appear to be emerging in the US.

Panelists

• Olatunde Johnson, Ruth Bader Ginsburg '59 Professor of Law, Columbia Law School
• John Shattuck, Professor of the Practice in Diplomacy, Fletcher School at Tufts University

Moderator

• Keith Gessen, George T. Delacorte Assistant Professor of Magazine Journalism, Columbia Journalism School