Academic Freedom in Polarized Times
17th Annual Colloquium of the MPIfG
- Start: Nov 21, 2024
- End: Nov 22, 2024
- Location: Köln
- Host: Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung
- Contact: info@mpifg.de
Academic freedom is a cornerstone of a functioning democracy and one of the freedoms protected by Germany’s Basic Law. It is also a social concept that requires constant political and legal renegotiation as societies change. The idea of academic freedom is therefore always open to reinterpretation and challenges, especially in times of social polarization.
One expression of this polarization today are increasingly heated public debates on contemporary social and political issues. The expectation for science and academia to navigate and take a position within this discourse has implications for academic freedom. So too do structural developments – such as the growing pressure to publish or reliance on external funding – inside the research system.
The contributions to the 17th Annual Colloquium of the MPIfG will explore academic freedom and the challenges it faces in contemporary times. What tensions exist for institutions and those who work in them? What role can science play in increasingly polarized public debates? And what are the implications of these developments for the future of research in Germany? We invite experts, stakeholders, and members of the public to discuss these questions with us.
The Annual Colloquium is jointly organized by the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies and the MPIfG alumni society.
Program and registration details will be published here in September.
