This event was the second part of North-South Feminist Dialogues 2024, organised by FemIDEAS and The 1752 Group (March, 12-2PM GMT)
You can read a report about this event here: 1752group.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/north-south-feminist-dialogue-report.pdf
Event description
In March 2023 the edited book Sexual Misconduct in Academia: Informing an Ethics of Care in the University was published by Routledge - Taylor and Francis Group. However, in August the book was withdrawn from publication by the publisher. Routledge released a statement saying that they had taken this step after receiving ‘a series of legal threats from various parties’ in relation to one chapter. In September, an open letter was published calling for Routledge to republish the book, entitled Academic censorship on sexual misconduct and power abuse: Not in our academia! The letter has now been signed by thousands of academics internationally. Several months on from the withdrawal of the book from publication, the entire volume remains unpublished, including 11 further chapters that were not subject to complaints, with no route forward for publication.
In this webinar, we discussed the implications of this development for academic writing on sexual misconduct, including autoethnographic work. We will look at the wider questions that this case raises, most notably:
Academic freedom refers to the right of academics to freedom of inquiry - to pursue and discuss ideas related to their field. If sexual harassment is part of the conditions of production of academic knowledge, how can we create conditions in which it is possible for survivors and scholars to write about it safely?
What should academics expect from publishers when writing in this area?
How can academics work collaboratively with publishers to ensure that it is possible to publish work in this area?
What are the options for academics who wish to write autoethnographic work under their own names on this topic?
Speakers:
Donya Ahmadi is Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Her research addresses an intersectional feminist critique of Iranian nationalism and she has published widely on this and related topics in academic journals and elsewhere.
Alex Petit-Thorne is a doctoral candidate in anthropology at York University, in Toronto, Canada. Their research focuses on queer community building and gender-based violence. They were the author of a chapter entitled ‘Sexual Misconduct in Academic Liminal Spaces: Auto-ethnographic Reflections on Complaint and Institutional Response’ in the now-withdrawn Routledge book Sexual Misconduct in Academia.
Tom Dark is Head of Editorial (Books) at Edinburgh University Press. He was previously Senior Commissioning Editor at Manchester University Press, with responsibility for social sciences and history, and has also worked for Emerald Publishing.
Dirk Voorhoof is an Emeritus Professor at the Human Rights Center at Ghent University and is also a member of Legal Human Academy, the European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and of the Global FOE&I @Columbia experts network, Columbia University, New York. He has extensive involvement in advising the Council of Europe in relation to media law and freedom of expression and as a member of the Human Rights Centre he is also participating in CASE, the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe.
Chair: Anna Bull is co-director of The 1752 Group and a Senior Lecturer in Education and Social Justice at the University of York.
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Safer spaces statement: We aim to uphold a (virtual or physical) space that is inclusive, welcoming, affirming, and respectful for everyone, especially all those with minoritised identities as a result of race, class, disability, sexuality or other protected characteristics. This includes all women (trans, intersex and cis) and all nonbinary, agender and gender variant people. See our full statement here.
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Links to support and information:
The Anti-Slapp Coalition: antislapp.uk/
Rights of Women sexual harassment legal advice helpline: www.rightsofwomen.org.uk/get-advice/sexual-harassment-at-work-law/
Survivors speaking out: A toolkit: nwlc.org/resource/survivors-speaking-out-toolkit-defamation-retaliation/
This event was funded by the University of Westminster and SOAS University