ACLA Graduate Student Committee Webinar: "Without Censorship: On Academic Freedom"

Moderator: Karen Emmerich, Princeton University

Panelists: Ghenwa Hayek, University of Chicago; Huda Fakhreddine, University of Pennsylvania; Nadia Abu El Haj, Columbia University

This workshop addresses the urgent need for unfiltered, fearless dialogue within academia. In recent years, freedom of speech has been increasingly threatened, with professors, students, librarians, and colleagues facing silencing, imprisonment, harassment, and intimidation for speaking out—whether publicly or privately—on issues tied to human rights and justice. The university, once seen as a sanctuary for free thought, has failed to protect those who challenge state-sanctioned narratives. As we face critical times, the question arises: When we need peace the most, is avoidance or fear of conflict the right attitude? How do we foster spaces in academia where anti-imperialist and anti-genocidal ideas can be discussed without fear of reprisal? This workshop, led by panelists who endured various consequences for their political expression, invites graduate students to share their grievances and strategies for resisting academic censorship.