"We're on Our Own Out Here": Faculty Member Responses to Legislative Threats to Academic Freedom and Scholarship on Race.
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| Title: | "We're on Our Own Out Here": Faculty Member Responses to Legislative Threats to Academic Freedom and Scholarship on Race. |
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| Authors: | Pedota, Jackie (AUTHOR), Garces, Liliana M. (AUTHOR), Epstein, Eliza Morse Bentley (AUTHOR), Ngaosi, Nicole Cruz (AUTHOR), Khalayleh, Noor (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Higher Education. 2026, Vol. 97 Issue 4, p647-674. 28p. |
| Subjects: | Academic freedom, Diversity & inclusion policies, Civil rights organizations, Higher education, Scientific racism, University & college administration, Statutes |
| Geographic Terms: | United States |
| Abstract: | Colleges and universities nationwide are contending with a well-coordinated, well-funded legislative campaign that seeks to reverse decades of racial progress. Using sociolegal frameworks and concepts, this study investigates how 32 faculty members from two public universities understand and respond to proposed legislation designed to restrict open inquiry and expression on campuses, which particularly targets race-related scholarship and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. This multiple case study offers a deep and nuanced understanding of how legal and institutional contexts shape faculty members' responses. The findings reveal that senior leaders' and academic administrators' responses can influence faculty members' understandings and actions, which often leads them to restrict their teaching and scholarship on race unnecessarily. Insights from this study also highlight the crucial role filtering agents, such as civil rights groups, play in mitigating the pressure to suppress work otherwise protected. The implications of this study underscore the critical need for institutional leaders and external organizations to advance a race-conscious and collectively engaged defense of academic freedom, especially as restrictive legislation continues to emerge across the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Colleges and universities nationwide are contending with a well-coordinated, well-funded legislative campaign that seeks to reverse decades of racial progress. Using sociolegal frameworks and concepts, this study investigates how 32 faculty members from two public universities understand and respond to proposed legislation designed to restrict open inquiry and expression on campuses, which particularly targets race-related scholarship and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. This multiple case study offers a deep and nuanced understanding of how legal and institutional contexts shape faculty members' responses. The findings reveal that senior leaders' and academic administrators' responses can influence faculty members' understandings and actions, which often leads them to restrict their teaching and scholarship on race unnecessarily. Insights from this study also highlight the crucial role filtering agents, such as civil rights groups, play in mitigating the pressure to suppress work otherwise protected. The implications of this study underscore the critical need for institutional leaders and external organizations to advance a race-conscious and collectively engaged defense of academic freedom, especially as restrictive legislation continues to emerge across the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00221546 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/00221546.2025.2461986 |
