International Conference on Academic Freedom, Human Rights and the Role of Academia

Check-in in the foyer in front of LUX:C121.

Please pick up your lunch at the check-in. 

This opening plenary sets the stage for the conference by framing academic freedom as a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of democratic societies. Academic freedom is not merely a professional privilege for academics; it is a prerequisite for pluralism, critical thinking, and informed public debate. Universities play a vital role in society as spaces for independent knowledge creation and democratic dialogue. The session brings together global, national, and political perspectives to explore why academic freedom matters for everyone - not only within academia - why it should be understood as a vital public interest, and how it can be advanced on the public agenda.

• Farida Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education
• Lena Halldenius, Professor of human rights studies and coordinator of the Lund University Human Rights Profile Area
• Linde Lindkvist, Senior analyst at the Swedish Institute for Human Rights

What role does academia play in a rapidly changing reality? As political pressures and shifting societal expectations challenge traditional models, universities must reimagine themselves to remain spaces for independent analysis, critical reflection, and education free from political influence. At the same time, there is the growing trend of treating universities like corporations, driven by results-oriented policies and global market pressures. This shift undermines academic freedom and autonomy, replacing merit-based hiring with personality and competency tests, and prioritizing efficiency over scholarly values. How can higher education institutions adapt to such a changed landscape while safeguarding their democratic mission and academic freedom? How can we build an academic system that is democratic and autonomous? 

• Andrea Boggio, Professor of legal studies at Bryant University, U.S., and Guest Professor at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI)
• Vilhelm Persson, Professor at the Faculty of Law at Lund University and co-leader - together with Tim Ekberg and Rebecca Selberg - of the Lund University project "Academic Freedom and the role of the University" 
• Rebecka Lettevall, Professor in intellectual history at Malmö University 
  & Annika Olsson, Professor in comparative literature, Dean of the Faculty of Culture and Society at Malmö University. Both are co-authors - together with Andrea Petö (Central European Univeristy) - of the article "Universities risk becoming tinned food with an expiry date."
• Benoît Josset, Doctoral student at the University of Rennes, France and Open COST Action project
• Maria Toft, Movement for a Free Academia (MoFaFA) 
• Rasmus Lindstedt, President of the Swedish national union of students (SFS) 

Swedish universities have comparatively low levels of institutional independence in a Nordic context, largely because state universities are formally government agencies under Swedish administrative law. This governance model, combined with limited access to research funding, is among the key factors restricting academic freedom, both individually and institutionally. In this session, we will examine alternative organizational and funding models from other European countries and discuss how different structures can strengthen autonomy and safeguard academic freedom.

• Mats Benner, Professor in science policy studies at Lund University School of Economics and Management, co-author - togehter with Anna Thomasson (Copenhagen Business School) - of "Navigating hybrid governance: a longitudinal comparison of university reforms in Denmark and Sweden"(The cases of Sweden and Denmark)
• Gergely Kováts, Associate professor at the Corvinus University of Budapest; Member of the Council of Europe Expert Working Group on the Democratic Mission of Higher Education and co-author of "The Erosion of Academic Freedom in Europe"  (The case of Hungary)
• Vasiliki Kosta, Associate professor of EU Law  at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands and co-author of "Academic Freedom Monitor 2024 - Overview of de jure academic freedom protection" (The cases of Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Poland) 
• Moderation: Rebecca Selberg, Associate professor in sociology and gender studies at Lund University and Linnaeus University, and co-leader - together with Vilhelm Persson and Tim Ekberg - of the Lund University project "Academic Freedom and the role of the University "