When: Thursday, July 13, 2023, 9:00 AM - 2:00 PMWhere: Geography Building 2.26, 327 Mile End Road, E1 4NS
Across the globe, there are rising threats to academic freedom as higher education becomes more and more international. What emerges out of these developments is a growing tension between a commitment to research and teaching that would be immune from external interference and the growing interdependence with higher education landscapes and funding sources that are anchored in very different political-legal environments.
This topic is particularly relevant, given the recent adoption of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act in the UK in May this year.
The event’s panel will look into real life examples in China, Russia, Turkey, and Myanmar, and spell out implications for freedom of speech and academic freedom in both teaching and research.
08:30-09:00 - Registration
09:00-09:10 - Welcome by Professor Frances Bowen (Vice-Principal, Queen Mary University) and Professor Jonathan Griffiths (Head of Department of Law, Queen Mary University)
09:10-09:30 - Keynote on Free Speech in Academia: Are Universities Supposed to Be Democratic?by Professor Eric Heinze (Queen Mary University)
09:30-10:30 Panel on China and Academic Freedom
Academic Self-Censorship in the Context of Academic Collaboration and Exchange with Autocraciesby Professor Eva Pils (King’s College London)
Internationalisation of Higher Education in the UK and China’s Expansionby Dr Tim Pringle (SOAS)
Living under People's Republic of China Sanction: Impacts on Research, Teaching and Prospects for Inter-Cultural Communicationby Jo Smith-Finley (Newcastle University)
10:30-11:00 - Coffee/tea break
11:00-12:30 - Panel on Internationalisation and Academic Freedom
Silence is an Option. Academic Freedom under Pressure in Russiaby Professor Lien Verpoest (University of Leuven)
Antisemitism and Academic Freedom in the UKby Professor Neve Gordon (Queen Mary University)
Academic Freedom in Myanmarby Professor Penny Green (Queen Mary University)
The Limits of Academic Freedom in Turkeyby Dr Gullistan Yarkin and Dr Derya Bayir (independent researchers)
12:30-13:00 - Concluding remarksby Professor John Heathershaw (University of Exeter)
13:00-14:00 - Lunch