Research Team: Shea Rose McKiernan, Alison Chicaiza, Tianna Malcolm,
Dejah Lucas, Rebecca Hoover
Critical Insights for Activists
Democratic Stability:: Higher levels of academic freedom are statistically linked to improved societal outcomes and lower levels of inequality across 132 countries.
The "Chilling Effect" of Book Bans:: Increases in book bans in states like Florida and Texas lead to student "self-censorship," stunting emotional and intellectual development.
Decolonizing Knowledge:: Censorship frequently targets "decolonized" perspectives, which reinforces Eurocentric power structures and silences marginalized voices.
Institutional Vulnerability:: When governments control university funding or appoint political administrators, education risks becoming a tool for political propaganda.
Urgent Research Gaps
The Digital Frontier:: Investigating how "cancel culture" and social media algorithms influence academic freedom.
Student Narratives:: A need for qualitative data on how high school students personally experience the removal of books from libraries.
Academic References (APA)
Keith, M. G., & Zickar, M. J. (2025). Academic freedom under siege: How state legislatures are reshaping higher education. *Industrial and Organizational Psychology*.
Posso, A., & Zhang, Q. (2023). Social R&D: Does academic freedom contribute to improved societal outcomes? *Information Economics and Policy*, 63, 101030.
Raju, C. K. (2017). Black thoughts matter: Decolonized math, academic censorship, and the "Pythagorean" proposition. *Journal of Black Studies*, 48(3), 256--278.