Academic Freedom as a Rapidly Changing Social Construct

This article approaches the notion of academic freedom as a social construct and argues that this construct is currently subjected to multiple attempts to de- or re-construct it. It outlines how the contributions to this symposium reflect on these attempts and, in doing so, how they analyse the complex relationship between the institutional autonomy of universities and research institutions, the professional autonomy of academics, the autonomy of scientific fields, and academic freedom. They rely on theoretical considerations, empirical research, reflexivity, and practical experience.