LFU:online

Students are familiar with the key topics and aspects of the debate on academic freedom as a phenomenon of current conflictual social disputes over interpretive power and the relationship between knowledge production and politics, and can categorise the underlying concepts of cultural policy.

In the wake of the social and political shift to the right in Austria, Germany, and numerous other (European and non-European) countries, scientists are increasingly coming under pressure in the form of shitstorms, death threats, insults, and legal actions. This particularly affects those who conduct research on issues of social discrimination against minorities, racism, sexism, and social inequality and those who advocate for social justice and democratic participation within and outside of academia. At the same time, critical science is confronted with attacks from alliances both outside and inside academia, which are mostly dominated by the right, but often also reach across political camps. Attacks take place in field research situations, in teaching, or in the context of science communication. How does the changed political situation affect scientific work? What strategies and resources are needed to ward off authoritarian attacks? The inter- and transdisciplinary hybrid lecture series addresses these questions with contributions from scholars in a range of different disciplines and from experts in the fields of supporting scientific communication and anti-discrimination work.

Lecture

Written exam (in presence)

Kostner, Sandra (Hg) (2022): Wissenschaftsfreiheit. Warum dieses Grundrecht zunehmend umkämpft ist. Baden-Baden: Nomos.

Becker, Reiner et al. (Hg.) (2022): Wissenschaftsfeindlichkeit. Angriffe auf Wissenschaft(ler*innen) und ihre Bedeutung für Bildung und Demokratie. Frankfurt am Main: Wochenschau-Verlag.

Özmen, Elif (Hg.) (2021): Wissenschaftsfreiheit im Konflikt. Grundlagen, Herausforderungen und Grenzen. Berlin: J. B. Metzler.

The lecture series is taking place hybrid.