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The Criminalisation of Student Activism and the Idea of Academic Freedom in India

Webinar 1
The Criminalisation of Student Activism and the Idea of Academic Freedom in India

  • This webinar was held on 23 January 2021

  • Listen to the recording on our YouTube channel here

  • See the webinar summary below

  • See key messages on our Instagram account here

  • See additional resources list below

Webinar Summary

India has seen an alarming rise in the imprisonment of students and young academics, as well as restrictions on academic activities that are critical of the ruling powers. Instances of everyday violence on university campuses are largely left unpunished and foster an environment of fear. Students from historically oppressed castes as well as minority religious backgrounds face systemic discrimination and exclusion from higher education, with women from these groups being hit the hardest. These developments are concurrent with a cultivation of anti-intellectual discourses in academic spaces in India. The webinar will highlight the vital role of student activism in university spaces in India.

Our guest speakers

Professor Apoorvanand, Hindi Department, University of Delhi
Nabiya Khan, a poet and an activist
Hadif Nisar, student activist, and President of the Jammu and Kashmir Students' Association, University of Hyderabad

Our moderator

Aman Abhishek, Doctoral Student, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Next
February 27

Why Academics Need to Be Part of the Farmers' Protest in India