The Stratification of Freedom: An Intersectional Analysis of Activist-Scholars and Academic Freedom at U.S. Public Universities

ABSTRACT

This study investigates to what extent activist-scholars in U.S. public universities are reassured by the safeguard of academic freedom when considering whether to express their politics publicly. Drawing from 31 in-depth interviews with a diverse pool of faculty from multiple institutions, this study interrogates activists-scholars’ sense of academic freedom protection as it intersects with their race and gender as well as their academic rank. This article argues that in order to ensure the effectiveness of academic freedom policies, not only is it necessary to assess the moments where academic freedom is overtly violated, academic freedom also must be assessed and reassessed constantly within its sociopolitical and economic context. The participants’ narratives reveal that academic freedom—the ostensible bedrock of the U.S. university system—is in fact a stratified freedom drawn across academic-rank lines, reflecting the racial and gender hierarchies of larger society, and that the culture of the academy encourages conformity rather than ethical risk-taking. In addition to advancing our understanding of how academic freedom operates, this study aims to inform institutional policies and practices contributing to higher education accountability efforts by elucidating ways of reinforcing the academy’s social mission.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. The fighting words doctrine in United States constitutional law, as protected by the First Amendment, limits speech intended to inflict injury or incite an immediate breach of the peace (Mannheimer, 1993). Additionally, the First Amendment does not protect speech that is deemed a “true threat,” speech that incites illegal activity, or harassment on the basis of protected characteristics such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religion (Lasson, 1984).

2. Arlette did not stay at this institution after she was denied tenure by a predominantly white review committee.

3. I’m using “produce or perish” to signal professional expectations not captured in the phrase “publish or perish.” Participants explained that pressures go beyond producing publications in academic venues. They also include pressures to produce grants.

4. In a comprehensive review of faculty policies at 183 institutions, Shavers (2000) found that only 7% of campuses granted voting rights to non-tenure-track faculty.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nicole Rangel

Nicole Rangel is an educator and interdisciplinary scholar whose current work examines the experiences of community-engaged scholars who exercise their academic freedom in politically controversial ways. She draws on various data sources including in-depth interviews and aims to elucidate ways of reinforcing the academy’s connection to, and responsibility for, the public that it is tasked to serve.