Club Lunch: Academic Freedom in a World of Authoritarianism

Academic freedom lies at the heart of good scholarship. The speaker feels it is not just a high-sounding principle, but a conduit for the practical expression of rigorous research, good writing up and the publication of results. For scholars working in or on countries or regions under forms of authoritarian rule, the challenge of constraints on academic freedoms are myriad. For universities and journals that publish the outcome of academic research, adherence to academic freedom should not be a complex issue: publication of submitted manuscripts is based on rigour, originality and merit. In this talk, the speaker will reflect on existing and emerging threats to academic freedom in general prior to discussing specific constraints that authoritarian governance and censorship presents to researchers.

Tim Pringle is a Senior Lecturer in Labour, Social Movements and Development at SOAS, University of London and Editor of The China Quarterly. His research focuses on labour movements, industrial relations and trade union reform in China, Russia and Vietnam. His books include Trade Unions in China: the challenge of labour unrest and co-authorship of The Challenge of Transition: Trade Unions in Russia, China and Vietnam.