Academic Freedom as a Human Right

Andreopoulos, G. (2020). “Academic freedom as a human right”. In A Research Agenda for Human Rights. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Retrieved May 18, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788973083.00011

Abstract:

Academic Freedom is under attack and in need of reexamination. This paper argues that it has both civil/political and economic rights-related dimensions, beyond the exceptional American discourse on freedom of expression. Academic freedom is an integral component of the recognized professional autonomy of educators in the quest to produce new knowledge and includes an intersubjective commitment to disciplinary competence. This quest also necessitates a share in the governance of the university. In addition, there is an economic/social/cultural component to academic freedom that relates to the ability of educators to (1) ensure conditions of employment that would enable them to sustain their right to take risks in pursuit of their research and challenge attempts to undermine shared governance structures in academic institutions and (2) to advance educational goals consistent with the promotion of the ‘common good.