Academic Freedom and the University as Educational Space. Practices and Forms of Legitimizing and Limiting the Public Dimension of the University
Final Report Abstract
Starting from disputes that have increasingly occurred since around 2015, an extensive discourse has emerged concerning the state of academic freedom at universities in Germany. Various issues have fueled the controversial discussion, including the invitation and subsequent criticism of politically contested lectures, the challenge of right-wing populism (and how to relate to it), and diversity management in higher education. The investigation of the discourse surrounding academic freedom, and the effects it has on university organizations and academic actors, is the subject of this research project. This research project works, on the one hand, with interviews with members of the university management, student representatives, and a third group of individuals who have intensely engaged with the topic, and, on the other hand, with documents—such as statements, press releases, open letters, and journalistic contributions. The state of academic freedom, its authorization and criticism, and the allegations who is held responsible for the design as well as for the restriction of academic freedom are the main focus of the research. The project employs a discourse-analytical approach that focuses on forms of address and authorization. Using ethnographic research strategies, the extending forms of debating academic freedom have been reconstructed—forms that have effects for the organization of communication in universities. Detailed case studies have been conducted on topics such as university as ‘Safe Space’, the publicness of universities in the discourse on academic freedom, the role of students in the discourse (from a student perspective), forms of protests in relation to academic freedom, the relationship between academic and political speech, as well as the role of conflict in higher education.
Publications
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„Im Fortgang eines friedlichen und gelassenen Protests…“ Ethnographische und theoretische Erkundungen an den Grenzen universitärer Öffentlichkeit. In: Rieger-Ladich, Markus/Brinkmann, Malte/Thompson, Christiane (Hrsg.): Öffentlichkeiten. Weinheim: Beltz/Juventa, 310-326
Christiane Thompson, Anke Engemann & Judith Mahnert
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Anrufung und Anerkennung von eingeschränkter Rede. Über Rahmungen und Voraussetzungen akademischer Subjektivierung. Sozialtheoretische Erziehungswissenschaft, 293-311. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
Thompson, Christiane & Engemann, Anke
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On tolerance and intolerance in the university 1. Tolerance and Intolerance in Religion and Beyond, 162-179. Routledge.
Engemann, Anke & Thompson, Christiane
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Zur Organisation der Unstimmigkeit. Organisation und Pädagogik, 3-20. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
Thompson, Christiane
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Erosion der Streitkultur? Argumentieren im universitären Bildungsraum. Pädagogische Korrespondenz, 37, 60-79.
Thompson, Christiane
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Traditions(um)brüche. Institutionelle Grenzziehungen in universitären Krisendiskursen In: Casale, Rita et al (Hrsg.): (De)Institutionalisierung von Bildung und Erziehung. Ffm/M.: Campus, 365-386
Engemann, Anke & Thompson, Christiane
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„Selbst der dümmste, durch die Bildungsinflation an die Universität geschwemmte Student könnte das”.. Populismus und Protest, 55-78. Verlag Barbara Budrich.
Engemann, Anke & Thompson, Christiane
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Die Emotionen der Anderen und das ›Wir‹ der Universität. Vierteljahrsschrift für wissenschaftliche Pädagogik, 101(2), 263-279.
Engemann, Anke
