Symposium: Academic freedom, safe spaces, and pedagogies of discomfort

In recent years, demands for ‘safe spaces’ brought forth by social justice movements – including #MeToo, antiracist struggles, trans-feminist activism, and decolonial interventions – have gained prominence and sparked controversies in the sector of higher education and the cultural industry. On the one hand, safe spaces – like the classroom or the university - can enhance learning processes and promote the inclusion of minority groups. On the other hand, they can potentially restrict the principle of free speech, impede the expression of dissent, and discourage uncomfortable conversations. In this context, academic freedom is strenuously advocated to counter the perceived threat of censorship by so-called “wokism” and “cancel culture”.

In this transdisciplinary symposium, consisting of three panels, we will delve into the following questions: What is “safety” in a safe space? When is canceling appropriate? What are the limits of academic freedom and how are they negotiated? What does it mean to teach and learn in/with discomfort?
 
Confirmed speakers are Gijs van Oenen (Erasmus University), Sarah Bracke (University of Amsterdam), Miriyam Aouragh (University of Westminster), Katrine Smiet (Radboud University Nijmegen), Kata Kyrölä (University College London), Daniel Loick (University of Amsterdam), Sophie Withaeckx (Maastricht University) and Lila Braunschweig (Utrecht University).

Programme

10:00 Opening 
by Jamila M.H. Mascat (UU) and Annelies Van der Meij (UU)
10:15-11:45 
The Conflict of the Faculties Reloaded: Academic Freedom between Threats and Pitfalls 
with Sarah Bracke (UvA), Daniel Loick (UvA), Gijs van Oenen (EUR)11:45-12:00   -  Coffee break (UU)
12:00-13:30  -   
Safe Spaces – Space Oddity 
with Lila Braunschweig (UU), Annelies Van der Meij (UU), Sophie Withaeckx (UM)
13:30-14:45
Lunch break
 14:45-16:15 
Pedagogies of Discomfort
with Miriyam Aouragh (University of Westminster/NIAS), Kata Kyrola (UCL), Katrine Smiet (RU)
16:15-16:30 - Coffee break (UU)
16:30-17:30 
Final Roundtable with Q&A