Watch the event online from Tiedetv on Youtube.

Academic freedom is a central issue in today’s world. The situation is alarming in many regions and countries, even within Europe. Besides outright violence and lack of security, authoritarian governments threaten academic freedom in multiple ways.

Entire fields of research may be under attack, individual scholars can find it impossible to continue their careers, and academic freedom as one tenet of democratic societies is not necessarily considered important.

The international network Scholars at Risk (SAR) is one established way to protect scholars in situations of political, military and other forms of violence. The session discusses the possibilities and limitations of Scholars at Risk in protecting academic freedom as well as broader issues related to academic freedom in Europe and elsewhere.

• Chairperson: Professor Elina Vuola (University of Helsinki)
• Professor Elina Vuola (University of Helsinki): The Role of Scholars at Risk in the Protection of Academic Freedom
• Director Martin Cloonan (Turku Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Turku): Observations on Scholars at Risk (SAR) Finland
• Senior Researcher Liisa Laakso (Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala University): Knowledge, Politics and Academic Freedom
• Researcher Didem Ünal Abaday (University of Helsinki): Academic Freedom and Gender Studies in Turkey