The fundamental questions “Why does academic freedom exist?” and “For whom does it exist?” remain central to contemporary debates about the role and function of higher education and research institutions. These questions touch upon the very foundation of the Academy and its place in society, raising critical issues about the interplay between knowledge production, democratic governance, and societal development.

Academic freedom is often assumed to flourish alongside political democracy and economic development, yet the relationship between these factors is rarely examined critically.

Political economy generally agrees that democracy positively influences economic productivity and growth. A similar situation appears with academic freedoms – it is widely accepted that academic freedom positively affects both the quantity and quality of knowledge production; however, the relationship remains insufficiently studied and infrequently discussed.

In light of the increased state pressure on academic science and education, discussing various policies related to the globalization of higher education, programs of excellence, and their impact on academic freedom domestically and within the framework of diverse international educational and scientific projects is essential.

It is well understood also that authoritarian regimes pose severe threats to academic freedom. However, much of the existing research has concentrated on cataloging violations of academic rights or documenting resistance within academia. Less attention has been paid to how researchers and educators sustain their work under constrained conditions or to the varied and innovative practices that protect and realize academic freedom globally. This opens up new avenues for exploring the genesis, models, and diverse implementations of academic freedom.

Another vital tension lies in the philosophical justifications for academic freedom. Is it primarily a means to pursue scientific truth, or does it serve the broader purpose of contributing to the public good? These rationales are not always aligned; prioritizing one over the other can lead to competing interpretations of university autonomy and, at times, to interventions that jeopardize academic freedoms.

This leads us to “for whom academic freedom exists.” If academic freedom is framed as a pursuit of truth, its protections might be limited to specific individuals and practices within the Academy. Conversely, framing academic freedom as serving the public good broadens its scope, encompassing various actors and contexts.

Moreover, academic freedom cannot be disentangled from academic integrity, which imposes its own set of prohibitions and responsibilities. The interplay between academic freedom, academic integrity, and the structures of self-regulation within the Academy requires ongoing scrutiny to ensure that the institution continues to uphold its core mission: the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge.

Finally, overcoming the shocks of recent years and the emergence of new technologies have created new tools to protect academic freedom. Whether science and higher education can exist in a decentralized digital form, how to protect learners from vulnerable groups and authoritarian countries, and what tools are being created within the traditional academy to help prepare for crises.

This conference invites contributions that engage with these complex and pressing issues. We aim to foster interdisciplinary dialogue on the following broad themes:

• Understanding academic freedom: philosophical definition, legal understanding, and boundaries, reconceptualization based on boundary cases.
• Challenges to academic freedom: research on individual issues, mutual influence of significant challenges of recent years (pandemics, wars, right-wing radicalism, neo-managerialism, and others).
• Protecting academic freedom: legal actions, community practices, and emerging tools (decentralized science, platform collaboration, etc.).

We welcome theoretical and empirical studies that shed light on these topics, offering fresh perspectives and insights into the evolving landscape of academic freedom. At the same time, we welcome submissions from practitioners who can offer reflections on the topics above from an applied perspective, including potential changes in educational policy, which should also be considered an integral part of the reflection on the state and development of academic freedom worldwide.

The conference is organized by CISRus (Center for Independent Social Research) and Central Asia Program, George Washington University with generous support of Tashkent State university of Economics.