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What Does Academic Freedom Mean for Academics?

A Case Study of the University of Bologna and the National University of Singapore

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The University as a Critical Institution?

Part of the book series: Higher Education Research in the 21st Century Series ((CHER))

Abstract

The aspiration towards academic freedom is not new for the academic community. From the Middle Ages on, universities struggled against the influence of local communities to pursue teaching and learning for the sake of knowledge (Zonta, 2002). At that time they were backed up by the two strongest powers, the Pope and the Emperor. These central authorities understood universities as institutions capable of securing the ideological support and the intellectual framework to maintain the unity of the Christian world and the Holy Roman Empire.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Sina Westa

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  1. Sina Westa
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Holloway, University of London, UK

    Rosemary Deem

  2. Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, UK

    Heather Eggins

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Westa, S. (2017). What Does Academic Freedom Mean for Academics?. In: Deem, R., Eggins, H. (eds) The University as a Critical Institution?. Higher Education Research in the 21st Century Series. SensePublishers, Rotterdam. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6351-116-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6351-116-2_5

  • Publisher Name: SensePublishers, Rotterdam

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-6351-116-2

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