Editorial: Academic freedom: embracing diverse voices

The collection of articles assembled in this Research Topic (RT) offer a timely discussion of a fundamental principle upon which both scientific endeavor and higher education are founded: academic freedom. While there is no single accepted definition of academic freedom, most scholars accept there are three basic dimensions: the freedom to research in a scientifically agreed-upon and rigorous fashion; the freedom to express academic points of view; and the freedom to educate and to learn (Maassen et al., 2023). In this RT, the first and second of these dimensions are effectively grouped together around an interest in the latitude for scholars to explore, scrutinize, and enhance their area of expertise without imposed restrictions or boundaries, and how, on the basis of this, science may be advanced through constructive discourse. Arguments here have their foundations in notions of intellectual freedom that first arose in Ancient Greece and that were rearticulated in various forms in both the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment (Fuchs, 1963). Concerns about the future of academic freedom here have particularly revolved around the growth of nationalism and the changing nature of global geopolitics, with a concomitant effect upon notions of scholarly freedom (Maassen et al., 2023).The second concern is the liberty to disseminate accurate, research-based information upon which the ongoing advance of disciplinary understanding may be established. This principal has its foundations in the development of the new universities in Germany in the 19th Century (Fuchs, 1963). Here, a range of threats have been seen to be developing in recent years, including the relationship between different national policies and higher education (EPRS, 2024), and a shift towards 'managerialism' in universities (Tierney, 2001) context, the author argues that the "evolution of research ethics is intertwined with the pursuit of 75 social responsibility and justice" (p 14). This concern with the ethics of social justice and academic 76 freedom frames all of the three remaining papers in the collection. Each takes an institutional 77 perspective. Thus, Shield's article, Academic freedom: Can education resist the assault?, discusses 78 the current backlash in the United States against diversity, equity and inclusion programs and 79 activities in higher education. She makes the point that all signatories to the United Nations 80 Sustainable Development Goals, (SDG4 in particular), have pledged to support the call "to ensure 81 inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning for all" (p 2). Shields argues that academic freedom requires kind courageous that understands and challenges 83 inequities wherever they are found" (p 5). 84The two final papers in the collection raise the issue of institutional neutrality from different 85 perspectives. In The politics of institutional neutrality: Ambiguity, fear, and the effort to silence 86 higher education in the United States, Brewer and Young provide a critique of the institutional 87 neutrality stance as it relates to academic freedom. They focus particularly on the influence of the 88 fear that has spread across the US in the wake of governmental hostility to higher education. 89Detailing several acts of resistance by universities, they show that institutions are slowly reclaiming 90 their commitment to academic freedom, evidence-based inquiry and the public mission. They thus 91 make the case that "neutrality is not a fixed or political stance but rather a historically constructed 92 and ideologically charged framework, one that can be mobilized to suppress dissent, obscure power, 93and render invisible the broader societal responsibilities of the university" (p 10