Academic freedom, meditation and spring blue skies….

“Critical thinking is essential to make sense of our world, especially with advertisers and politicians all telling us loudly that they know best. We need to be able to look at the evidence and work out whether we agree with them.” Helen Czerski

This post today has come about as a result of my long time belief in the importance of freedom of expression, my own experiences, as well as, a short course I have participated in on academic freedom and other core values, which has probably brought these topics to the forefront of my awareness more recently.

Multiple forms of oppression and injustice occur in societies across the globe, and although these conditions are more intense and widespread in some countries and historical contexts they occur everywhere. They intimidate and traumatize and they inflict short and long term losses and other negative consequences for those bearing the oppression and injustice, but also for those bearing witness. Oppression, discrimination and other forms of injustice come in different forms and levels of severity and they occur in both the public and private sector, and we can potentially encounter them in every context we find ourselves in. And although as individuals we often may not be able to prevent incidents or change systems or always stand up to oppressive forces, the acquisition of information and knowledge related to rights and processes for the protection of these rights can help us navigate difficult waters, protect ourselves and others, decrease risks, deal with incidents once they have taken place, and contribute to change. Only recently I was listening to something on the many ways that digital abuse occurs nowadays and the speaker referred to its insidious and long terms effects and how people feel helpless, but also that there are resources and things in place and authorities that we can turn to. Beyond acquisition of knowledge our being mindfully present and grounded in reality increases our discernment and choice, safeguards us and can empower us to deal with breaches of rights when they do occur. Bertrand Russell said: “If we spent half an hour every day in silent immobility, I am convinced that we should conduct all our affairs, personal, national, and international, far more sanely than we do at present”.

Personally, meditation has been an important practice in increasing this capacity, and in broadening my knowing of a bigger picture of reality and helping me integrate the societal with the personal at a much deeper level. Having said this for people who have experienced significant trauma, mindfulness meditation can initially exacerbate symptoms of traumatic stress because as  David A. Treleaven, PhD, says when asked to pay focused, sustained attention to their internal experience, trauma survivors can find themselves overwhelmed by flashbacks or /and heightened emotional arousal. This happens because “The power of meditation thrusts survivors directly into the heart of wounds that often require more than mindful awareness to heal” (David Treleaven). And yet mindfulness is a valuable asset for trauma survivors because it enhances present-moment awareness, increases self-compassion, and strengthens one’s ability to self-regulate.  That is why a trauma-informed approach to mindfulness meditation is important for anyone who has undergone trauma or is in the process of treating wounds. Treleaven says that “Mindfulness doesn’t cause trauma—rather, it may uncover it—but the practice by which mindfulness is pursued can land trauma survivors in difficulty.” This points to the need for a trauma sensitive approach.  According to Treleaven “To be “trauma-sensitive” means having a basic understanding of trauma in the context of one’s work. With trauma-informed mindfulness, we apply this concept to mindfulness instruction. We can give people options about how they practice mindfulness, encouraging breaks and utilizing various anchors of attention. We can ensure we’re trained in recognizing trauma symptoms, responding to them skillfully, and taking preemptive steps to ensure that people aren’t re-traumatizing themselves under our guidance.”

I intend to write more about this topic in a future post once I finish reading Treleaven’s book: Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing. However, because for most people there are many beneficial reasons to meditate, I will briefly mention a few things in this post based on my own daily experience over the last seven or maybe more years, and also, ideas discussed in a recent episode of Rick and Forrest Hanson’s Wellbeing podcast series, where they discuss the different forms of meditation, the diverse reasons people meditate and common misconceptions about meditation.  So, I have personally found that meditative practices enable us to step out of the daily drama to one extent or another; learn more about our own mind; to observe habitual patterns and the deeper layers of our experiences, so that we gradually wake down to our core being, which is a deeper calmer place deep inside- an inner sanctuary; to observe the nature of our mental processes, including our thoughts and emotions; to regulate our emotional experiences: to integrate and cultivate compassion, gratitude, kindness, calm and a sense of spaciousness; to be compassionate without getting swept away by others’ pain; to develop wisdom, to shed experiences and stories and release grief; to become less reactive and more patient; to learn to abide in what is and to access a basic okayness in the moment even amidst difficulties; to increase our insight and power of concentration, which are interdependent

Now to come back to academic freedom, both private and public educational contexts, from kindergarten to university campuses, are not exempt from violations of all sorts, whether we are talking about bullying or threats to academic freedom.  Fortunately, for many people it is obvious that healthy education communities matter enormously since they shape us and determine so much from very early on, but in order for education contexts to be healthy they must be grounded in certain core values, which might include values such as academic freedom, equitable access, accountability and social responsibility. When these core values are undermined or are not in place then both the socio- political and cultural functions of higher education narrow. Since the course I mentioned above is about higher education communities it is suggested that where these values are respected, higher education communities not only contribute necessary skills and services to society, but also maximize the capacity of individuals to think critically and make informed and creative contributions to their own lives, as well as, to the lives of others. In her book, Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life, physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski writes: “Critical thinking is essential to make sense of our world, especially with advertisers and politicians all telling us loudly that they know best. We need to be able to look at the evidence and work out whether we agree with them.”

Briefly, academic freedom is important because it protects people asking, writing, exploring or researching sensitive or “dangerous” questions, and it is one of five core interrelated values necessary for healthy and vibrant education communities, which include academic freedom, accountability, equitable access, institutional autonomy and social responsibility. Academic freedom could generally be viewed as the freedom of teaching and discussion, freedom in carrying out research and disseminating the results, freedom to express opinions about the academic institution/system and freedom from censorship. Briefly, the core value of accountability refers to transparent structures or mechanisms by which the state, higher education professionals, staff, students and the wider society may evaluate, with due respect for academic freedom and institutional autonomy, the quality and performance of higher education communities. The value of equitable access and participation in higher education either as a professional or a student should be based on merit and without discrimination on grounds of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic or cultural distinctions, physical disabilities, and so on. Social responsibility refers to the duty to use the freedoms and opportunities in a manner consistent with the obligation to seek and impart truth, according to ethical and professional standards, and to respond to contemporary problems and needs of all members of society.

These broad core values categories are interrelated and two values may often overlap. Consider how academic freedom and institutional autonomy or equitable access may overlap and be interdependent. Also, overt or more subtle attacks on academic freedom can take place alongside violations of other human rights.  For instance, in more severe situations a professor might be arrested and then mistreated in custody because of a lecture she/ he delivered.  Threats to academic freedoms can be severe or covert and less obvious and they can come from interference from states or private actors, who can limit an individual’s exercise of rights or access. One example provided in the course was that of an education institution affiliated with a religious denomination, which conditions academic employment or access to education on adherence to a code of beliefs that limits expression or groups of people, even if such prohibitions limit academic freedom or other rights.

Threats to academic freedom and the right to freedom of speech can vary depending on the levels of democracy or lack of it in various countries and can unfortunately include extreme violence, disappearances and wrongful imprisonment or wrongful prosecution, or more common and less obvious forms like loss of position or expulsion from study, bullying, restrictions and other types of harassment.  States may also limit research or publication on sensitive research topics like global warming, pollution, violence against women or children, human sexuality, and discrimination against ethnic or religious minorities, etc.. Threats and attacks on academic freedom do not only affect those directly targeted and their families, but can intimidate and have a ripple effect on a wider collective. This witnessing effect can limit the exercise of academic freedom by others.

As mentioned, threats to academic freedom can originate from States and civil society, but also, from within the higher education contexts, even when laws and structures are in place, and they illustrate the tension between inquiry and power. Academics and students may undermine academic freedom if they act aggressively, either overtly or covertly against academics or students, who they might view as raising sensitive questions with efforts to block the employment of academics, to boycott, silence or expel faculty staff and students from the university, based on various factors and not on academic merit. At times exercising academic freedom even in minor ways can still trigger negative consequences; therefore, it becomes obvious that being informed and having an increased awareness around the things discussed above is important when choosing an education context, but also while working within one. Being informed and grounded in reality increases one’s agency and capacity to be aware of questions like: Who decides where the line around academic freedom is, if any?; What topics or ideas might be considered sensitive within this particular context? What happens if one crosses the line? Understanding the types of pressures and threats one might experience when they ask or discuss certain questions is important. Reflecting on what one might expect in a particular setting can increase one’s agency and choice significantly and prevent losses that could have been avoided.

At a group level proactive implementation of core values decreases the risk of undermining academic freedom in practice, even when core value statements are typically in place. In this course one suggestion of implementing core values is by ritualizing dialogue on values questions as a regular part of campus life before values-related incidents arise. Ritualizing values means creating and repeating regular, visible, and meaningful opportunities for all stakeholders to discuss values questions, which allows the development of a common understanding and culture around values, as well as, constructive patterns of communication that can help to build acceptance and trust. Also, putting transparent processes in place before any incident arises is important.

Becoming familiar with the statement of core values of a (higher) education context in advance and researching an educational provider’s value system around equitable access, academic freedom, accountability and so forth can reveal the culture of the organization and prove a proactive step in decreasing threat and violation risks. Being aware of the bigger reality and taking into account one’s own group identity and past educational experiences, as well as, the compatibility of one’s world view with the culture of the educational context, especially, if it is private, can to some extent and in certain contexts provide protection. Ultimately, one has to choose whether to take the risks of speaking up and out or discussing sensitive questions. Being mindful and informed rather than taking certain liberties and rights for granted just because there are laws protecting them or naively assuming a priori that academic freedom and integrity are in place can protect us, increase our agency and lead to more empowering choices.