AFAF

Dennis Hayes — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 13:21:55 +0000

Academic freedom - the responsibility to speak your mind and challenge conventional wisdom - defines the university and stands as a model for open debate in wider society.

In today’s political climate it is harder than ever for academics to defend open debate.

Restrictive legislation, and the bureaucratic rules and regulations of government quangos and of universities themselves, have undermined academic freedom.

Many academics are fearful of upsetting managers and politicians by expressing controversial opinions. Afraid to challenge mainstream thought, many pursue self-censorship.

Academics For Academic Freedom (AFAF) is a campaign for all lecturers, academic-related staff and researchers who want to make a public statement in favour of unimpeded enquiry and expression. That statement is set out here:

Statement of Academic Freedom

'We, the undersigned, believe the following two principles to be the foundation of academic freedom:

(1) that academics, both inside and outside the classroom, have unrestricted liberty to question and test received wisdom and to put forward controversial and unpopular opinions, whether or not these are deemed offensive, and

(2) that academic institutions have no right to curb the exercise of this freedom by members of their staff, or to use it as grounds for disciplinary action or dismissal.'

View current signatures and comments here

To sign this statement please click the 'comments' link below followed by the 'post a comment' link.

A form will then appear. In the 'comment' box on the form put your name, title, and university/institute. If you wish you may make a short statement. Apart from doing the anti-spam identification, simply enter an email into the last line of the form so we can check your identity. This will not be published. Alternatively, email your details to AFAFSignUp@aol.com

All entries are subject to moderation before they are added to the site. Please note that anonymous comments will not be published. If your name or comment fails to appear, email AFAFSignup@aol.com

You can also sign up to the AFAF statement of academic freedom by joining the AFAF group on Facebook, membership of which is open to all academics, and to others who support the AFAF statement: http://www.facebook.com

Undergraduate students wishing to support the AFAF statement can do so on-line at http://www.safaf.org.uk

NEWS

Dennis Hayes has been invited to be the Guest Editor of a special edition of the British Journal of Educational Studies on academic freedom. For information go to: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0007-1005&site=1

AFAF Media Coverage

04 March 2008: the free society Academic freedom means free speech and no “buts”, by Dennis Hayes:

http://www.thefreesociety.org/Issues/Free-Speech/academic-freedom-means-free-speech-and-no-buts

01 March 2008: Academic Freedom – a call for papers, Editorial, by James Arthur, British Journal of Educational Studies, Vol. 56. Issue 1: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1467-8527.2008.00399.x

15 February 2008 THE: appointments:

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=400540

04 February 2008: the free society Artists and academics unite to support The Free Society, by Simon Clark: http://www.thefreesociety.org/Press-Office/Press-Releases/artists-and-academics-unite-to-support-the-free-society

01 February 2008: Battles in Print No academic freedom or no ideas? by Dennis Hayes: http://www.battleofideas.org.uk/index.php/site/battles/1067

4 January 2008: THES SA lecturer’s ‘freedom to criticise’ verdict welcomed by UK academics, by Melanie Newman: http://www.thes.co.uk/current_edition/story.aspx?story_id=2039630

03 December 2007: The Journal Education Minister undermines NUS, by Sarah Clark The Journal (Edinburgh): http://www.journal-online.co.uk/articles/show/2775

27 November 2007: Guardian East Anglia students reject NUS policy on fascists, by Anthea Lipsett:

http://education.guardian.co.uk/students/politics/story/0,,2217799,00.html

26 November 2007 sp!ked Just say no to ‘No Platform’, by Richard Reynolds:

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/4117/

23 November 2007: THES Brown softens stand in extremism debate, by Melanie Newman

02 November 2007: THES Academe is guilty of institutional cowardice, by Richard Reynolds, UEA student and founder of SAFAF

02 November 2007: THES Right to speak is threatened, by Melanie Newman – a report on the Battle of Ideas discussion: http://www.thes.co.uk/current_edition/story.aspx?story_id=2038871

27 October 2007: AFAF sponsored a discussion entitled 'Academic Freedom Under Threat' at The Battle of Ideas: http://www.battleofideas.org.uk/index.php/site/session_detail/141/

25 October 2007: THES Free speech wins the day, by Melanie Newman

28 September 2007: THES UK lowest on freedom list, by Louise Radnofsky: http://www.thes.co.uk/current_edition/story.aspx

05 July 2007: The Independent Against The Grain: It is an academic's right to cause 'reasoned' offence, Steve Fuller (interviewed by Nick Jackson) The Independent 5 July 2007: http://education.independent.co.uk/higher/article2734945.ece
29 June 2007: HERO website: The Freedom to Offend, by Milly Shaw:

http://www.hero.ac.uk/uk/inside_he/the_freedom_to_offend.cfm

08 June 2007: CHURCH TIMES Education: No letting the side down, by Dennis Hayes with a reply by Kenneth Stevenson, Church Times, Issue No 7526: pp24-5:

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=40358

June 2007: AFAF is mentioned in the ‘News’ section of the journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Significance 4 (2), 50–53.

18 May 2007: THES When firing off can get you fired... by Phil Baty and Tony Tysome:

http://www.thes.co.uk/search/story.aspx?story_id=2036721

13 April 2007: THES Freedom is at the heart of what we believe, by Kenneth Stevenson:

http://www.portsmouth.anglican.org/info/bishop/sermons_speeches/sermons_and_speeches_2007/times_higher_education_supplement

April-June 2007: The Philosophers' Magazine: Academic Freedom, Steve Fuller and Alan Haworth debate the AFAF statement, Issue 38, 2nd Quarter 2007: pp72-77:

http://www.philosophersnet.com/magazine/article.php?id=1032

16 March 2007: THES Debate rages despite advice, by Melanie Newman

16 March 2007: THES Ethos may be a foe to freedom, by Melanie Newman

16 March 2002: THES Faith threat to free speech, by Melanie Newman:

http://www.thes.co.uk/search/story.aspx?story_id=2035765

08 March 2007: Daily Mail Oxford protestors 'hounding out' professor who spoke up on immigration issues, by Fiona Barton

02 March 2007: THES Make freedom to offend legal

02 March 2007: THES Bid to oust don is 'witch-hunt', by Rebecca Attwood

February 2007: Flere skænderier, tak, by Dennis Hayes, FORSKER forum, No. 201, February 2007: pp22-23: http://www.forskeren.dk/downloads/ff-201.pdf

13 February 2007: Filósofos lanzan una campaña por la libertad:

http://www.nueva-acropolis.org.ar/Noticias-detalle.194.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=20&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=61&cHash=7d53b5e466

February 2007: Judisk Krönika, Akademiska och kulturella bojkotter är censur förklädd till radikal politick, by Nathalie Rothschild, 2007 No.1 p31:

http://www.webbkampanj.com/judiskkronika/0701/

February 2007: National Student Academics fight for the right to offend

31 January 2007: PI Magazine UCL Academics Call For Freedom of Speech, by Sarah Crosby

12 January 2007: TES If criticism is antisocial then bring on the Asbos, by Dennis Hayes: http://www.tes.co.uk/search/story/?story_id=2330111

02 January 2007: THES More support call for unfettered freedom, by Phil Baty January 2007: Philosophy Now Philo Launches Academic Freedom Campaign, by Sue Roberts, Issue 59, January/February 2007

January-March 2007: The Philosophers’ Magazine, In Brief, Issue 37, First Quarter 2007: p9

27 December 2006: Support the Academics for Academic Freedom Campaign, by Aaron Sloman:http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~axs/misc/academic-freedom.html

22 December 2006: Manchester Evening News Scholars demand ‘right to be offensive’:

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/231/231451_scholars_demand_right_to_be_offensive.html

22 December 2006: The BBC Academics Seek Right To Offend

22 December 2006: The Guardian Academics Call for Unfettered Free Speech, by Alexandra Smith

22 December 2006: The Herald Academics demand freedom to express offensive views, by Alan MacDermid

21 December 2006: THES Scholars demand the right to be offensive, by Phil Baty

21 December 2006: THES Verbal brawling is just what the academy needs, by Dennis Hayes

21 December 2006: THES Leader: Can Academics Be Entirely Free?

Academics For Academic Freedom - AFAF

AFAF