Gender studies and womens equality as orwellian “Thoughtcrimes”? "The threat of self-censorship and polish academic autobiographical resistance"

Abstract

The intellectual freedom to pursue independent inquiry, question previous theories, and disseminate research has recently returned to being a high aspiration rather than a daily practice due to a growing number of disruptions and challenges from the global right and new illiberal, populist governments-often supported by religious leaders-that target individual academic experts, selected scholarly disciplines, or even whole institutions of higher education, as many scholars and students have acknowledged in academic life narratives published in diverse media. A report on academic freedom titled “Free to Think 2018,” released by the Scholars at Risk Network, identifies a “global crisis” in higher education on the basis of 294 reported attacks on higher education in forty-seven countries between September 1,2017 and August 31,2018, a situation that calls for critical analysis, public debate, and social engagement (4).