Strengthening comparative research and critical thinking within the framework of academic freedom in the Americas

This research call is promoted by the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CLAA)[1] and by the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO)[2], within the framework of its Platforms for Social Dialogue project, and its objectives are:

To deepen knowledge and understanding of the problems of academic freedom in the Americas by identifying particularities and common trends throughout the hemisphere, fostering both collective research groups and individual fellows.
To create a critical mass of researchers across the region, capable of contributing to this field of research and inspiring other researchers to join this work.
Disseminate the research results in written and oral form, through the CLAA and CLACSO websites, and through workshops and seminars, establishing dialogues with policymakers, UN institutions, civil society actors and other stakeholders to advance respect for and protection of academic freedom as a fundamental human right.

Background

In recent years, there has been growing recognition and visibility of the importance of academic freedom from regional and international human rights bodies. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, for example, adopted in 2021 a landmark instrument called the Inter-American Principles on Academic Freedom and University Autonomy, which frames academic freedom as “an independent and interdependent human right, enabling the exercise of a range of other rights” and sets forth 16 principles related to its promotion. A year earlier, at the international level, David Kaye, in his capacity as United Nations Special Rapporteur, published his report on Academic Freedom and Freedom of Opinion and Expression, paving the way for other fruitful work. Inspired by his report, a group of organizations, movements, academics, and UN agencies came together to form the Working Group on Academic Freedom, which worked for two years to develop the International Principles for the Implementation of Academic Freedom. This inspired, among other things, 70 States to issue a Joint Declaration on academic freedom in March 2023 at the Human Rights Council, calling for greater international cooperation to strengthen it.

Similarly, in 2024, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to 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, she outlines four pillars of academic freedom, which should be applied at all levels of education: the right to teach, to participate in discussions and debates with individuals and groups within and outside the academic community, to conduct research, and to disseminate research opinions and findings. She further underscores that institutional autonomy is an instrumental dimension of academic freedom, the ongoing challenge of which is that “academic freedom has not yet been accepted in government or by the general public as being as crucial as a free press or an independent judiciary.”

A review of the literature on academic freedom reveals that Moshman addresses academic freedom in both its individual and collective dimensions (2017). The conceptualization of academic freedom also offers approaches that focus on professors, students, and institutions, and that relate to other freedoms, such as university autonomy, access to institutional spaces and resources without discrimination or exclusion, as well as freedom of expression and opinion. Other authors emphasize that guaranteeing academic freedom implies non-interference or external influence in academic work processes, thus preventing censorship of content produced through scientific methods (Madrid, 2017), considering diverse epistemic systems. Moshman (2017) further points out that academic freedom must be defended not only against the State, but also against the institutions themselves, and that academic freedom is also crucial in places like libraries or public repositories, as spaces for academic inquiry and the democratization of knowledge.

The review revealed some dimensions that were insufficiently addressed, such as those related to gender, the digital world, or human mobility, and the need to delve deeper into the area of new knowledge production.

Consolidating research on academic freedom in the Americas has profound significance for advancing our understanding of and capacity to advocate for and protect it. Despite its critical importance for the advancement of human rights and democracy, this field remains under-researched, particularly in the face of escalating attacks on academic freedom in the context of growing authoritarianism worldwide. For example, at the two most recent international research conferences related to the Americas (LASA, June 2024) and the right to education (Comparative International Education Society, March 2024), the number of panels focused on academic freedom was less than a handful.

The need to promote research on academic freedom becomes even more urgent when considering the results of the 2023 Academic Freedom Index (AFI), which point to a decline in academic freedom worldwide and in the Americas. Examples of this decline include the erosion of university autonomy, the prosecution of academics, increasing online threats and harassment, and a lack of protective measures coupled with an inadequate institutional response. Attacks against student organizations are also part of the struggle for academic freedom, and an intersectional lens is crucial both for understanding these attacks and for overcoming them.

By developing a critical mass of research, we will be able to illustrate the diverse challenges and contexts across the hemisphere, allowing for a deeper understanding of the nuances surrounding academic freedom and ultimately empowering us to formulate more effective strategies to safeguard and promote it.

Developing a broad body of research not only enhances our understanding but also strengthens our capacity to protect and defend academic freedom in the hemisphere. By examining the diverse dimensions of the issue, subregional contexts, and institutional frameworks, we can identify common trends, areas requiring more urgent attention, and issues that require further research and analysis. This knowledge also serves as a vital tool for policymakers, activists, and stakeholders working to advance academic freedom, fostering dialogue and collaboration among academic institutions, civil society organizations, relevant UN agencies, and the Inter-American Human Rights System in a collective effort to address systemic challenges.

This effort aligns perfectly with recent advances in the region, particularly the adoption of the aforementioned Inter-American Principles on Academic Freedom and University Autonomy. By consolidating research efforts, we can complement and strengthen the application of these principles, transforming them from aspirational ideals 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 flourishes as an essential pillar of democratic societies.

Research thematic priorities

Considering the aforementioned regional and global context, five lines of research are proposed for this Call, indicative but not exclusive:

Academic freedom and the strengthening of democracy: Through this line of research, we aim to explore the relationship between academic freedom and the strengthening of democracy, examining and observing its practical implications in people's lives. This research also seeks to unravel the understanding of academic freedom as a right, historicizing and contextualizing this perspective, while exploring its relationship with other rights and the ways in which it is realized 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 pursuit of scientific development, trying to better understand the obstacles posed by scientific denialism and anti-scientific movements, such as those related to climate change, as well as the commodification of education and the growing influence of industry in setting the scientific research agenda, particularly through conditional funding mechanisms.
Academic freedom and technology: Through this line of research, we aim to explore the threats that surveillance, digitization, and the platformization of education, including the use of AI, pose to the academic freedom of professors and students. A collaboration with Farida Shaheed in this area could be fruitful, given that AI will be the subject of her next thematic report.
Academic freedom and university autonomy: Through this line of research, we aim to explore the different dimensions of university autonomy: pedagogical, administrative, and financial. Regarding the latter, it will be important to explore its connections to resistance against and overcoming of the neoliberal university, with its budget cuts and the accompanying pressure to meet narrow, productivity-driven evaluation metrics, leading to the precariousness of teaching and research.
Academic freedom and structural inequalities: In this line of research, threats to academic freedom will be explored through a lens of power, seeking to understand the class, gender, ethnic-racial, and colonial dynamics at play, including the impacts of migration within the continent. This line of research also involves examining how these different dimensions of inequality reinforce exclusions and hierarchies within academia.

Considering this background, the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CLAA)[3] and the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) launch this Call for the strengthening of comparative research and critical thinking within the framework of academic freedom in the Americas.

RULES OF THE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Applicant profile

Collective applications are expected (teams of between 3 and 6 members).
It is recommended, but not exclusive, that at least one of the team members have accredited links with a Member Center of the CLACSO network or with instances of the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CLAA).
The information provided in the registration form is considered a sworn statement.
If the project is selected, a letter of support signed by the highest authority of the member center with which the proposal is linked must be submitted.
Team composition must respect gender parity and each team must select one member as the project registration manager. Teams must consist of established researchers—those with a master's degree, doctorate, or equivalent qualification and a proven academic track record—and researchers in training—those currently pursuing a master's or doctoral degree or holding an undergraduate degree. Teams are expected to be intergenerational, integrating researchers with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Likewise, proposals may be made up of people from different countries, promoting exchange and regional dialogue as a practice of intervention in the issues focused on in this Call.
Each researcher may only participate with one proposal in this Call.
Members of the Steering Committee or officials of the Executive Secretariat of CLACSO, or of the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CLAA), may not participate.
Proposals from researchers who are currently recipients of fellowships or grants under other research calls, scholarships, or essays organized by CLACSO will not be accepted. Applications from researchers who have been selected in a CLACSO research call will be accepted, provided that the recipient has fulfilled all obligations in a timely manner.
If the project is awarded and any travel is necessary, the winners will have to cover the costs of medical insurance or similar expenses themselves.

Support to be granted

Up to 7 (seven) research groups will be supported, considering 6 (six) in Latin America and the Caribbean and 1 (one) in North America, distributed as follows: 2 (two) in the Southern Cone (of which 1 will be for Brazil), 1 (one) in the Andean Region, 2 (two) in Mesoamerica (of which 1 will be for Mexico and another for Central America), 1 (one) in the Caribbean and 1 (one) in North America.
The amount of support will consist of US$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 through bank transfers made to the name of the coordinator of the selected team against delivery of progress products and the approval of the tutor, in addition to the presentation of a receipt or invoice.
CLAA and CLACSO will publish the final products in print and/or digital media, giving them wide publicity and dissemination through the means they deem appropriate. If necessary, during the editorial process, researchers will be asked to make the adaptations and adjustments required so that the resulting research can be published in various formats.

Characteristics of the proposals

Completed research projects will not be accepted. Proposals may be linked to ongoing research processes, but the final works must be original and unpublished products and developed within the period established by the call for proposals.
Texts written in the four languages commonly used in Latin America and the Caribbean (Spanish, English, Portuguese and French) will be accepted, depending on the country of origin of the proposal.

Selection criteria for proposals

In the first stage, the submitted proposals will be reviewed for their formal and administrative aspects to ensure their compliance with the competition rules. Proposals that do not meet the established requirements will be rejected.
Applications that advance to the next stage will be evaluated by an International Committee of experts who will assess the quality and relevance of the proposals, which will be submitted under a pseudonym. This Committee will be jointly nominated by CLAA and CLACSO.
The Call may be declared void or a smaller number of projects may be selected, if the proposals submitted do not meet the required quality and consistency.
Situations not covered in this document will be resolved by the convening institution.
The ruling will be irrevocable and unappealable.

Monitoring of research processes

The selected teams will work with the support of tutors who will follow the process of their work plans, research and results.
Each team must submit the adjustment to their proposal, partial reports and final document within the established deadlines.
The selected teams will participate in virtual meetings organized by CLACSO and CLAA to form a community in which the progress made in the research process will be shared.
As monitoring tools, each team will receive a table for recording Social Dialogues and impacts, which they must submit along with the progress report and the final report.

Characteristics of research papers

The investigations will last 10 (ten) months, developing their work plan between November 2024 and August 2025.
The progress and final reports submitted by the researchers will be evaluated by the designated tutors.
The final products to be delivered will be at least three:
Research papers should be between 12.000 and 15.000 words in length (excluding appendices and bibliography), written in Times New Roman 12-point font, single-spaced. This is an approximate guideline, and CLACSO and CLAA reserve the right to make adjustments or exceptions if deemed necessary. Furthermore, once submitted, CLACSO and CLAA may request adjustments and revisions from researchers to ensure the final research papers meet institutional criteria for publication. The text structure is flexible, adhering to academic writing conventions and CLACSO's editorial guidelines, as well as APA style and gender considerations.
Action Guidelines (ALG) document, containing input, proposals, and recommendations for public policies and social intervention on the topics investigated. The format of these AGGs will be communicated in due course.
A training proposal for public policy agents or members of social organizations that can be implemented and expresses the main findings of the research carried out.

The objective of these three products (which are a minimum requirement for compliance with the objectives of the Call) will be to promote social, multi-actor and multi-sectoral dialogues on the topics addressed by each team.
The three established products may be complemented with audiovisual materials or pieces intended for social networks.
All results must be communicated in writing, but the production of other formats and languages to communicate and make them visible will also be promoted, such as: audiovisuals, materials for social networks and booklets or booklets with tools for action.
The authors will transfer the original publication rights of their works, given that CLAA and CLACSO adhere to and defend the principles of open science and open access to knowledge, ensuring that the resulting work is easy to find, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. Subsequently, the works may be published in any other medium, always citing this Call for Papers. Researchers must inform CLACSO of the subsequent publication of the works resulting from their research.
The research team will make the work available to CLACSO so that it can carry out the corresponding work registrations, respecting the name of the author, and perform the tasks of disseminating the work that it deems appropriate.
The authors may request express authorization for publication through other channels, always respecting the corresponding credits and attributions. They also agree to inform others about the publication of the submitted material and to acknowledge in the credits any funding received for the undertaking or completion of this work.

Registration procedure

It is mandatory that the submission be made through the online registration system provided by CLACSO. Printed submissions and submissions sent by email will not be accepted. It is recommended to access the online system to review the registration form.

Access the CLACSO website orgThe online registration system will be available from September 18, 2024.
Register in the CLACSO Single Registration System (SUIC). The generated username and password will be required each time you wish to access the system to consult, modify, add, or submit information for this or any other CLACSO activity. Applicants who are part of collective proposals must open a single form This will include all researchers on the team. One of the authors must also be designated as responsible for the registration. This same person will receive the corresponding monetary award if the proposal is selected by the Jury.
Identify the proposal by indicating its title and the pseudonym of the applicant(s). Applications with pseudonyms that correspond to the applicant's first and/or last name will not be accepted. Once the corresponding fields are completed, the system will enable the uploading of the following data.
Applicants must indicate on the form their affiliation with a Member Center belonging to the CLACSO network. Consult the database of member centers at: org.ar/clacso/centros_miembros_clacso/inicio.php.
Complete the form personal and academic data and attach the curriculum vitae in free format; the digital copy of the identity document, passport or ID card; the digital copy of the highest academic degree obtained (or proof of degree in process) and the photograph.
The proposal must be filled out on the form that appears once the personal and academic data has been completed.
Once registration is closed, the system will produce an electronic certificate of receipt that will serve as proof of application.

SIGN UP

Registration closes: October 28, 2024
Winners will be announced in November 2024.
Project completion: November 2024 – August 2025
Final report due: 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] It is a non-governmental, non-profit network, created in 2021 and headquartered at the University of Monterrey (UDEM) in Mexico. It was founded by Academics at Risk, UDEM, and the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) at the University of Ottawa. Its members span the hemisphere, and it has established institutional relationships with key partners in national and international settings. CAFA seeks to promote, protect, and respect academic freedom and university autonomy, with the goal of developing relevant human rights standards to protect educational spaces, identify best practices, and strengthen democratic principles in the Americas. It carries out advocacy, monitoring, research, and strategic communication activities.

[2] It is an international non-governmental organization with association status at UNESCO, established in 1967. It currently comprises 938 research and postgraduate centers in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities across 57 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and other continents. Its work focuses on reducing inequalities and social injustice; combating racism, ethnic and gender discrimination; defending academic freedom and public education; and expanding the right to democratic, inclusive, and quality education for all. CLACSO promotes research, training, and the dissemination of knowledge through open access and fosters institutional partnerships for collaborative and cooperative work that achieves social, political, and cultural impact..

[3] It is a non-governmental, non-profit network, created in 2021 and headquartered at the University of Monterrey (UDEM) in Mexico. It was founded by Academics at Risk, UDEM, and the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) at the University of Ottawa. Its members span the hemisphere, and it has established institutional relationships with key partners in national and international settings. CAFA seeks to promote, protect, and respect academic freedom and university autonomy, with the goal of developing relevant human rights standards to protect educational spaces, identify best practices, and strengthen democratic principles in the Americas. It carries out advocacy, monitoring, research, and strategic communication activities.

OPINION – Strengthening comparative research and critical thinking within the framework of academic freedom in the Americas

Considering the aforementioned regional and global context, five lines of research were proposed for the Call, indicative but not exclusive: Academic freedom and the strengthening of democracy, academic freedom and the pursuit of scientific development, academic freedom and technology, academic freedom and university autonomy, and finally academic freedom and structural inequalities.

Based on this background, the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CLAA) and the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) launched this Call for the strengthening of comparative research and critical thinking within the framework of academic freedom in the Americas.

Ninety-eight forms were opened and 34 complete applications were finally received, which, after technical and formal review, were in a condition to be qualitatively evaluated by the International Committee to consider the quality, relevance and coherence of the proposals in accordance with the Call.

The evaluation process was carried out by an International Committee composed of 6 experts from different countries: Camilla Croso (Brazil), Rafael Ibarra Garza (Mexico), Isaac Nahon-Serfaty, (Venezuela/ Canada), Lia Pinheiro Barbosa (Brazil), Juan Piovani (Argentina) and Laura Rovelli (Argentina).

Based on the evaluations received, the list of selected proposals is as follows:

Authors	Institutional link	Country	Title of the proposal
Anny Ocoró Loango – María Camila Landazury – Clara Luisa Martins Brandão – ARBEY BUSTAMANTE – Jorge Enrique Garcia Rincón	Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, Argentina – FLACSO – Argentina Program	Argentina	Academic freedom and struggles against structural inequalities from an intersectional perspective: The role of Afro-Latin American research associations
Milena Pereira Fukuoka – Patricia Lima Pereira – Evelyn Mendoza Baez – Ever Enriquez – Magdalena Rivarola – Gustavo Setrini	Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, Paraguay – FLACSO Paraguay	Paraguay	Commodification, Credentialism and Political Capture: a historical-comparative study of the barriers to the development of academic freedom and university autonomy in Paraguay
Rodolfo Dynnik Asencios Lindo – Stephanie Hatsumi Gutierrez Otsu – Milagros Maria Badillo Palomino	Institute of Peruvian Studies – IEP	Peru	Academic Freedom in Times of Inequality: A Laboratory for Reflection for Peru
Juan Alfredo Tuesta Panduro – Vilda Rodríguez Méndez – Norbisley Fernández – Ognara García García – Yailé Caballero Mota	National Agrarian University of the Jungle Tingo María – UNAS	Peru	Inclusive editorial management of open academic digital books in Latin America
Mario Rolando Chocoj Méndez – Silvia Calderon – Clara María Josefina Arenas Bianchi de Recinos – Jorge Waldemar Urquiza Martínez – Rodolfo Rubio Pérez – María Estela Rivero Fuentes	Association for the Advancement of Social Sciences – AVANCSO	Guatemala	Academic freedom and its relationship with democracy and inclusion in Central America: risks, vulnerability and resilience.
Fernando Romani Sales – Paula Aldana Lucero – Rosario Figari Layús – Maria Fernanda Silva Assis	Faculty of Law of the University of São Paulo (USP)	Brazil	Academic freedom and scientific development in Mexico: extreme climate and scientific denial in Brazil and Argentina
Ana Lucía Ramazzini Morales – Marisa Gisele Ruiz Trejo – Tania Selene Mata Parducci	Faculty of Social Sciences Campus III – UNACH – Autonomous University of Chiapas	Mexico	Critical thinkers and the crises of academic freedom in Chiapas and Central America (1910-2024)

This ruling is irrevocable and cannot be appealed.

Buenos Aires, December 16, 2024

Strengthening comparative research and critical thinking within the framework of academic freedom in the Americas

RULES OF THE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Applicant profile

Support to be granted

Characteristics of the proposals

Selection criteria for proposals

Monitoring of research processes

Characteristics of research papers

Registration procedure

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