Strengthening comparative research and critical thinking in the area of academic freedom in the Americas
Research call
This Research Editorial was promoted by the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CLAA) and by the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), within the scope of its project Platforms for Social Dialogue, and we have the following objectives:
- Deepen the knowledge and understanding of the quest of academic freedom in the Americas, identifying particularities and common trends throughout the hemisphere, promoting both collective research groups and individual academics.
- Create a critical mass of researchers throughout the region capable of contributing to this field of research and inspiring other researchers to participate in this work.
- Disseminate the results of the research in writing and orally, through the CLAA and CLACSO sites, and through workshops and seminars, establishing dialogues with policy makers, UN institutions, civil society actors and other interested parties to promote and respect the protection of academic freedom as a fundamental human right.
History
In recent years, there has been a growing recognition and visibility of the importance of academic freedom by two regional and international human rights bodies. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, for example, approved in 2021 a reference instrument called the Inter-American Principles on Academic Freedom and University Autonomy, which frames academic freedom as "an independent and interdependent human right, which allows the exercise of a series of other rights" and establishes 16 principles related to your promotion. A year earlier, at the international level, David Kaye, in his mandate as UN Special Rapporteur, published his report on Academic Freedom and Freedom of Opinion and Expression, opening the way for more fruitful work. Inspired by this story, a group of organizations, movements, academics and UN agencies came together to form the Working Group on Academic Freedom, which for two years worked to develop the International Principles for the Application of Academic Freedom. This suggests, among other things, 70 States will issue a Joint Declaration on Academic Freedom in March 2023 at the Human Rights Council, calling for greater international cooperation to strengthen academic freedom.
In the same line, in 2024, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Direction of Education, Farida Shaheed, published her Report on Academic Freedom, emphasizing that academic freedom is “the human right to acquire, develop, transmit, apply and engage with a diversity of knowledge and ideas through research, teaching, learning and discourse. In this report, it establishes four pillars of academic freedom, which must be applied to all levels of teaching: the right to teach, to participate in discussions and debates with individuals and groups within the academic community, to research and to disseminate opinions and results of research. He also emphasizes that institutional autonomy is an instrumental dimension of academic freedom, whose continuous challenge is that "academic freedom is not oil in the spheres of government and the general public as being crucial in a free press or an independent judiciary."
When analyzing part of the literature on academic freedom, we see that Moshman postulates academic freedom both in its individual and collective dimensions (2017). The concept of academic freedom also offers approaches that focus on teachers, students, institutions and that are related to other freedoms, such as university autonomy, or access to institutional spaces and resources without discrimination or exclusion, such as freedom of expression and opinion. Other authors emphasize that guaranteeing academic freedom implies no interference or external influence in academic work processes, thus avoiding censorship of content produced by scientific methods (Madrid, 2017), considering various epistemic systems. Moshman (2017) further observes that academic freedom must be defended not only against the State, but also against its own institutions, and that academic freedom is also crucial in locations such as libraries or public repositories, such as spaces for academic research and democratization. do knowledge.
From the review carried out, some dimensions insufficiently addressed have been observed, such as those related to gender, the digital world or human mobility and the need for deepening in the field of production of new knowledge.
The consolidation of research on academic freedom in the Americas has a profound meaning for the advancement of our understanding and capacity to advocate for our defense and protection. Despite its fundamental importance for the advancement of human rights and democracy, this field continues to remain under-researched, mainly due to the escalation of attacks on academic freedom in the context of increasing authoritarianism around the world. For example, in the two most recent international research conferences related to the Americas (LASA, June 2024) and ao direito à educação (Comparative International Education Society, March 2024), the number of meetings focusing on academic freedom was less than a point.
The need to promote research on academic freedom becomes more urgent when we observe the results of the Academic Freedom Index (AFi) 2023, which points to the deterioration of academic freedom throughout the world and in the Americas. Examples of the deterioration are the erosion of university academic autonomy, the judicialization of academics, or the increase in problems and on-line assistance, in the absence of protective measures, accompanied by the lack of adequate institutional response. Attacks on student organizations are also part of the fight for academic freedom and an intersectional lens is important to understand attacks on academic freedom and overcome them.
By developing a critical mass of research, we will be able to illustrate the various challenges and contexts throughout the hemisphere, allowing a deeper understanding of the nuances that surround academic freedom and, ultimately, enabling us to formulate more effective strategies to protect and promote it.
The development of a broad research body not only increases our understanding, but also strengthens our capacity to protect and defend academic freedom in the hemisphere. By examining the various dimensions of the problem, the sub-regional contexts and the institutional structures, we can identify common trends, areas that require more urgent attention and questions that demand more research and analysis. This knowledge also serves as a vital tool for policymakers, activists and stakeholders who work to promote academic freedom, fostering dialogue and collaboration between academic institutions, civil society organizations, interested UN agencies and the Inter-American Human Rights System in an effort. collective to face systemic challenges.
This effort is aligned with recent developments in the region, especially the adoption of the two Inter-American Principles on Academic Freedom and University Autonomy mentioned above. By consolidating research efforts, we can complement and reinforce the implementation of these principles, transforming them from aspirational ideas into tangible realities. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and sustained research initiatives, we can pave the way for a more vibrant and resilient academic community in the Americas, where academic freedom thrives as an essential pillar of democratic societies.
Thematic research priorities
Considering the regional and global context mentioned above, five indicative, but not exclusive, lines of research are proposed for this question:
- Academic freedom and strengthening of democracy: Through this line of research, we want to explore the relationship between academic freedom and the strengthening of democracy, questioning and observing its practical implications in people's lives. This line of research also seeks to reveal the understanding of academic freedom as a direction, historicizing and contextualizing that perspective, at the same time as it explores its relationship with other directions and the ways in which it materializes in concrete terms.
- Academic freedom and the pursuit of scientific development: Through this line of research, we want to explore the relationship between academic freedom and the search for scientific development, seeking to better understand the obstacles imposed by scientific denialism and anti-scientific movements, such as those related to climate change, as well as the commercialization of education and the growing influence of corporate sector in defining the scientific research agenda, especially through conditional financing mechanisms.
- Academic and technological freedom: Through this line of research, we want to explore the ways that surveillance, digitalization and educational platforms, including the use of AI, represent the academic freedom of teachers and students. A collaboration along the research line with Farida Shaheed could be helpful, considering that AI will be the topic of his next thematic report.
- Academic freedom and university autonomy: Through this line of research, we want to explore the different dimensions of university autonomy, ou seja, pedagogical, administrative and financial. In relation to the latter, it will be important to explore the connections with the resistance and overcoming of neoliberal universities, with organizational cuts and a concomitant pressure to respond to strict metrics of product evaluation, with a consequent casualization of education and research.
- Academic freedom and structural inequalities: Nessa line of research, as aspects of academic freedom will be explored through a lens of power, seeking to understand the dynamics of class, gender, ethnic-racial and colonialism in the game, including the impacts of migration on the continent. This line of research also involves the questioning of how these different dimensions of inequality consolidate exclusions and hierarchies within the academy.
REGRAS DA CHAMADA
- Collective registrations (teams of 3 to 6 members) are not expected.
- It is recommended, but not exclusive, that at least two members of the team have credentialed links with a Member Center of the CLACSO network or with instances of the Coalizão para a Liberdade Acadêmica nas Américas (CLAA).
- The information provided in the registration form is only considered a sworn declaration.
- If the case or project is selected, an endorsement letter must be sent to the highest authority of the member center to which the proposal is linked.
- The composition of the teams must respect gender parity and one member must be selected as the person responsible for the registration of the project. The teams must be formed by trained researchers, or those with a master's degree, doctorate or equivalent, and a proven academic career; e by researchers in training, or seja, who is currently studying to obtain a master's degree/doctorate or a bachelor's degree. It is hoped that the teams will be intergenerational, integrating researchers from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
- Likewise, the proposals could be integrated by people from different countries, promoting or exchanging regional dialogue as a practice of intervention on the topics focused on this Call.
- Each researcher will only be able to participate with one proposal in this Chamada.
- Members of the Steering Committee or officials of the Executive Secretariat of CLACSO or the Coalizão para a Liberdade Acadêmica nas Américas (CLAA) cannot be candidates.
- There will be no proposals from researchers who are currently bag holders within the scope of other research calls, bags or tests organized by CLACSO. Candidates will be accepted from researchers who have been selected in a call for research grants awarded by CLACSO, as long as the beneficiary has completed time and form with the duties duly hired.
- If the case or project is awarded if travel is necessary, the winner(s) will be required to cover medical insurance costs or similar costs of their own.
- They will be supported by 7 (seven) research groups, 6 (six) in Latin America and the Caribbean and 1 (um) in North America, distributed as follows: 2 (dois) in Conosul (with 1 for Brazil), 1 (um) for the Andean Region, 2 (dois) for Mesoamerica (1 for Mexico and 1 for Central America), 1 (um) in the Caribbean and 1 (um) in North America.
- The value of the support will be U$D 10.000 (ten thousand US dollars or its equivalent in local currency) for each selected proposal.
- The financial support will be paid in three installments by bank transfer to the name of the coordinator of the selected team after delivery of the progress products and approval of the tutor, in addition to the presentation of a receipt or invoice.
- CLAA and CLACSO will publish the final products in printed and/or digital media, giving extensive publicity and dissemination to those considered appropriate. If necessary, in the editorial process, researchers will be requested to make the necessary adaptations and adjustments so that the work resulting from the research carried out can be published in different formats.
- These investigations will not be concluded. The proposals may be linked to ongoing research processes, but the final work must be original and unpublished products developed within the period established for the work.
- These will be texts written in the four languages commonly used in Latin America and the Caribbean (Spanish, English, Portuguese and French), depending on the country of origin of the proposal.
- In a first stage, the proposals presented will be analyzed in their formal and administrative aspects, in order to verify their conformity with the editorial rules. Proposals that do not meet the established requirements will be technically reviewed.
- The candidacies that will pass to the next stage will be endorsed by an International Committee composed of specialists who will evaluate the quality and relevance of the proposals, which will be presented under pseudonyms. This Committee will be proposed jointly by CLAA and CLACSO.
- The call may be declared void or a smaller number of projects may be selected if proposals sent do not have sufficient quality and consistency.
- Situations not foreseen in this document will be resolved by the convening institution.
- The opinion will be irrevocable and will not be subject to appeal.
- The selected teams will work with the accompaniment of tutors who will follow the process of their work plans, investigations and results.
- Each team must send or adjust on its own, partial reports and final document within two established deadlines.
- The selected teams will participate in virtual meetings organized by CLACSO and CLAA to form a community in which they will share progress in the research process.
- As accompanying instruments, each team will receive a Social Dialogue and an impact recording table to be sent together with the progress report and the final report.
- The investigation will last 10 (ten) months, developing its work plan between November 2024 and August 2025.
- The progress and final reports sent to the researchers will be validated by the designated tutors.
- The final products will be at least three:
Research papers must be between 12.000 and 15.000 words (excluding annexes and bibliography), written in Times New Roman 12, with simple spaces. This criterion is approximate and CLACSO and CLAA are free to reformulate or exceed, if necessary. Likewise, once presented, CLACSO and CLAA may request the researchers to make the necessary adjustments and changes so that the research work can be published in accordance with the institutional criteria. The structure of the text will be free, respecting the conventions of presentation of an academic text and the editorial standards of CLACSO, such as APA + GENDER.
Document of Directors of Ação (DPA), containing contributions, proposals and recommendations of public policies and social intervention on the questions investigated. The format of these PLAs will be informed in a timely manner.
A training proposal for public policy agents or members of social organizations that can be implemented and express the main results of the research carried out.
- The objective of these three products (which is a minimum requirement to meet the objectives of the Call) will be to promote social, multi-stakeholder and multi-stakeholder dialogues on the issues addressed by each team.
- The three established products can be complemented by audiovisual materials or pieces of social media.
- All results must be communicated in writing, but the production of other formats and languages will also be promoted to communicate and return them, such as: audiovisuals, materials for social networks and books or cards with tools for today.
- The authors assign the original publication rights to their works, once CLAA and CLACSO add and defend the principles of open science and open access to knowledge, so that the product is easy to find, accessible, interoperable and reused. Subsequently, they may be published at any other time, always citing this Call. Investigators must inform CLACSO about the subsequent publication of works resulting from research work.
- The research team will place the work at the disposal of CLACSO so that it can register the corresponding work, respecting the name of the author, and carry out the dissemination tasks of the work that it considers appropriate.
- The authors may request express authorization for publication by other means, always be careful to include the corresponding credits and mentions. Likewise, they also undertake to inform about the publication of the material presented, as well as to indicate the credits or financing granted for the realization or conclusion of this work.
Registrations must be completed through the online registration system provided by CLACSO. Oils will not be registered on paper or sent by e-mail. It is recommended to access the online system to check the registration format.
- Log in to the CLACSO website org. The online registration system will be available starting September 18, 2024.
- Register in the Unique Registration System (SUIC) of CLACSO. The username and password generated will be requested whenever you wish to enter the system to consult, modify, add or send information in this or any other activity of CLACSO. The candidates who are part of a collective proposal must open a single form which included all the team's investigators. Also, two authors must be designated as the person responsible for the registry. This person will receive the monetary allocation corresponding to the proposal for Júri.
- Identify the candidate by indicating the title and pseudonym(s) of the candidate(s). There will be no registrations whose pseudonyms correspond to the name and/or nickname of the candidate(s). Once the corresponding fields are pre-filled, the system will allow you to upload two following data.
- Candidates must indicate the registration form of their affiliation to a Member Center belonging to the CLACSO network. Consult the data bank two member centers: org.ar/clacso/centros_miembros_clacso/inicio.php.
- Fill out the form personal and academic data and attach the curriculum vitae in free format; a digital copy of your identity document, passport or identity card; A digital copy of the highest academic diploma obtained (or proof of the diploma in training) and a photograph.
- You must first fill in the form that appears afterward or fill in two personal and academic data.
- When the registration is closed, the system will produce an electronic certificate of receipt that will serve as proof of the request.
Closing date of registrations: October 28, 2024
Publication of two winners: November 2024
Project execution: November 2024 – August 2025
Presentation of the final report: August 31, 2025
The results will be published on the CLACSO and CLAA websites. The winners will be contacted by email.
Queries: [email protected]
[1]In this context, the Coalizão para a Liberdade Acadêmica nas Américas (CLAA) eo Conselho Latino-Americano de Ciências Sociais (CLACSO) is launching this Call for the Strengthening of Comparative Research and Critical Thinking in the Âmbito of Academic Liberdade in the Americas.
[1] It is a non-governmental and non-profit network, created in 2021, based at the Universidade de Monterrey, UDEM, Mexico. It was founded by Academics at Risk, UDEM and the Human Rights Research and Education Center (HRREC) of the University of Ottawa. Its members open the entire hemisphere and establish institutional relations with important national and international partners. CAFA seeks to promote, protect and respect academic freedom and university autonomy, with the objective of developing relevant standards of human rights that serve to protect educational spaces, identify best practices and strengthen democratic principles in the Americas. O CAFA carries out advocacy, monitoring, research and strategic communication.ative research and critical thinking within the framework of academic freedom in the Americas.
