Academic Freedom in an Age of Conformity: Confronting the Fear of Knowledge (Palgrave Critical University Studies)

Annotation Universities, once at the forefront of campaigns for intellectual liberty, are now bastions of conformity. This provocative book traces the demise of academic freedom within the context of changing ideas about the purpose of the university and the nature of knowledge and is a passionate call to arms for the power of academic thought today Academic freedom is increasingly being threatened by a stifling culture of conformity in higher education that is restricting individual academics, the freedom of academic thought and the progress of knowledge – the very foundations upon which academia and universities are built. Once, scholars demanded academic freedom to critique existing knowledge and to pursue new truths. Today, while fondness for the rhetoric of academic freedom remains, it is increasingly criticised as an outdated and elitist concept by students and lecturers alike and called into question by a number of political and intellectual trends such as feminism, critical theory and identity politics. This provocative and compelling book traces the demise of academic freedom within the context of changing ideas about the purpose of the university and the nature of knowledge. The book argues that a challenge to this culture of conformity and censorship and a defence of academic free speech are needed for critique to be possible and for the intellectual project of evaluating existing knowledge and proposing new knowledge to be meaningful. This book is that challenge and a passionate call to arms for the power of academic thought today. Front Matter....Pages i-vi Introduction....Pages 1-21 Front Matter....Pages 23-23 Free to Be Critical....Pages 25-55 Conformity in the Academy....Pages 56-80 Front Matter....Pages 81-81 Criticality within the Disciplines....Pages 83-109 Disciplines under Attack....Pages 110-127 Front Matter....Pages 129-129 Uncritical Theory....Pages 131-155 The Impact of Feminism....Pages 156-174 From Academic Freedom to Academic Justice....Pages 175-194 Conclusions....Pages 195-198 Back Matter....Pages 199-217 Cover 1 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 7 Introduction 8 Part I: Academic Freedom Then and Now 29 1 Free to Be Critical 30 2 Conformity in the Academy 61 Part II: Knowledge in the Disciplines 86 3 Criticality within the Disciplines 87 4 Disciplines under Attack 114 Part III: Beyond Criticism 132 5 Uncritical Theory 133 6 The Impact of Feminism 158 7 From Academic Freedom to Academic Justice 177 Conclusions 197 Bibliography 201 Index 213 Part I. Academic Freedom Then And Now: Free To Be Critical -- Conformity In The Academy -- Part Ii. Knowledge In The Disciplines: Criticality Within The Disciplines -- Disciplines Under Attack -- Part Iii. Beyond Criticism: Uncritical Theory -- The Impact Of Feminism -- From Academic Freedom To Academic Justice. Joanna Williams, University Of Kent, Uk. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.