Speakers: Susanne Täuber, Natalie Scholtz, and Verena Kämpken
Convenors: Carlos Azevedo and Ronald Hartz
28th September 2023, 15:00-16:30 CET
In the first webinar, we will debate specifically the Dutch case. In the Netherlands, Susanne Täuber was recently fired by the University of Groningen for ‘long-term damaged working relationship’ due to the publication of an essay in the Journal of Management Studies about gender discrimination at her own institution. Although the case of Susanne Täuber received a lot of attention and lead to public protests (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01286-5), the public outcry did not change the position of the University, and it is safe to say that this is another extreme case which will have a chilling effect on the articulation of critique within universities. Susanne, Natalie Scholz, Verena Kämpken and Joseph will speak about some of the challenges they have faced and the price they have paid while trying to enact their academic freedom within Dutch higher education.
REGISTRATION
If you would like to attend the webinar, please register at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/academic-freedom-under-attack-the-dutch-case-tickets-715916354087?aff=oddtdtcreator
SPEAKERS
Dr Susanne Täuber is an expert in gender equality, academic bullying and policy-practice gaps. She was fired by the University of Groningen on International Women’s Day 2023 for publishing an essay criticizing how the university’s gender equality policy is undermined by everyday inequality practices. Her firing has led to protests, outrage about the University’s disregard for academic freedom and an Open Letter demanding her reinstatement signed by almost 4000 academics around the world. Susanne has been formally recognized as a whistleblower by the Dutch Whistleblower Authority for disclosing irregularities and misconduct concerning the Rosalind Franklin Fellowship, a prestigious gender-equality initiative at the University of Groningen supported with millions of public money.
Dr Natalie Scholz is a senior lecturer of modern history at the University of Amsterdam studying modern political cultures from a critical angle. In 2012 she nearly lost her job at the University of Amsterdam when she complained about gender discrimination. Later she published about these experiences in a series of blogs (nataliescholz.org) and spoke about her case on national Dutch television and radio.
Verena Kämpken is a former student who abandoned her ambitions in critical science and technology studies after witnessing several instances of injustice and violence as well as the advancing anti-intellectualism and neoliberalism in academia. She taught the BA course “Gender and Diversity in the Workplace” together with Susanne Täuber at the University of Groningen.
Joseph (he) has been organizing events, actions and protests at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) for the past few years. He has been involved with groups like University Rebellion UvA (UR UvA) and Amsterdam Autonomous Coalition (AAC). He stands for the decolonization, democratization and decarbonization of the universities, and believes that we must fight for these radical changes through collective struggles that extend beyond the borders of academia.
Academic Freedom Under Attack 