Sahil Premalkumar Patel

France

Academic freedom in France is way different compared to other countries in European Union (EU). According to Maassen et al (2023) “Recent discussions about academic freedom in France have, amongst other things, been focused on the government approach to the so-called “Islamo-leftism” in academia”. It is said that the “French Academia” is the one to blame for creating this “Intellectual breeding ground for Islamic terrorism”. Movements of “Islamo-Leftism” have been debated during “2022 presidential election” and been suspected in universities according to the “former French Minister of Higher Education”. However, “The National Centre for Scientific research (CNRS)” refuses to accept the existence of “Islamo-leftism” in reality (p. 76). Maassen et al (2023) also states that “The debates in France illustrate that over the last decades higher education and society in the EU Member States and elsewhere have developed a new relationship, where traditional borders and distinctions have become less prominent” (pp. 76-77). According to Maassen et al (2023) in 2020, an amendment particularly speaking about “academic freedom raised concern amongst the academic community”. The concerning amendment stated that “Academic freedom is exercised with respect for the values of the republic” without any further discussion of those values or the limitations of those values. Later, an “approximate of 40 academic research networks, associations, unions, and interest groups, in addition to almost 100 academic journals” signed an open letter to drop the amendment (p.77). This shows the disagreement amongst the stakeholders of European Union (EU) about academic freedom and the reach of political parties to limit academic freedom.

Various threats to “Academic Freedom in France” identified by Beaud(2022) and mentioned by Maassen et al (2023, pp.77-78) in the European Union article are as follow.  The first type of “classical threat” is due to the intervention of “Political authorities”, as most of the universities in France are “Public universities” and under political supervision. Beaud (2022, para.31) refers to the case of “Ernest Renan and Louis-Napolean” to show how the political parties in France have been the limiting factors of “Academic Freedom in France” for a long time now. The authority in power Louis-Napolean, suspended Ernest Renan course from the “College de France” after his lecture where “he presented the main theses of his book on The Life of Jesus, a “scientific” biography of Jesus Christ”. Following the suspension Ernest Renan was also removed from the “body of College de France”, with an “accusation” of not “abiding” the rule of not to include any “personal opinion” against the “fundamentals of the Christian religion”. The second one is due to the interference of “Civil services at national level (The Ministry of Higher Education)”.  Along with the “classical threats” mentioned above, Beaud (2022) also points out to the “new threats” of “academic freedom”.

“The first new threat according to Beaud (2022) identified by Maassen et al (2023, p.78) is formed by the university administration (referred to as the ‘close administration’), formed by the academics in leadership positions, and the institutional bureaucracy. It is argued that French universities have experienced the emergence of a “subtle form of hierarchization” mentioned by Maassen et al (2023, p.78) referring to (Legrand 2008, p. 2242). The latter is interpreted as a threat to the freedom of academics to follow their own research and teaching agenda”. The other “new threat” would be “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP)”. This lawsuit is made to “silence the critics burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition”. Increasing use of this lawsuit is endangering the “freedom of speech” and “academic freedom”. Another “new threat according to Beaud (2022, para.50)” pointed out by Maassen et al (2023, p.78) would be regarding “students and academic activist groups”. According to this new threat, the teachers won’t be only fearing from the authorities higher to them in the hierarchy of control, but also need to fear from “students” and “activist groups”, as they would decide if something taught by the teacher is offensive or not. This relates to the case of “Islamo-leftism” as mentioned before.

Barylo (2021, para.9-10), states that, “part of this problem is the historical disconnect between policies and research in France” is the “country’s lack of thinktank culture”, which is blocking the flow of “Academic expertise” into the “government policy”. Other countries like “USA”, “Canada” and “UK” may share those flaws with France but at least they have “equality laws” which allows people to express themselves and have an established “government structure” which takes those expressions under consideration. This lack of “Academic Freedom in France” is causing academic scholars to move out of France, just like what the author of this article did. “I shudder to think where this may end, but it does at least reassure me that I made the right decision when I joined all those émigrés and left France for the UK” says the author, Barylo (2022, para.11).