A response to ‘societal polarization, academic freedom, and the promise of dialogical sociology’

In this response to Sari Hanafi’s article on societal polarisation and academic freedom’, I critically examine three key conceptual claims he makes. The first relates to the claim that globally, we are witnessing societal polarisation. Secondly, this polarisation arises as a consequence of the political Left/Right binary, and that thirdly this binary leads to reduced levels of academic freedom. In contrast, I argue that it is not evident that society is more polarised in contemporary times than previously, that the narrative of a political Left/Right binary is overstated and misleading, and thirdly, I question the methodology that claims empirical evidence of declining levels of academic freedom.