Academic Freedom and the Inclusive University

Battles over human rights, curriculum issues and hiring and promotion practices reveal to what extent efforts to integrate ideas of academic freedom and the inclusive university have engendered strife and debate on Canadian campuses. For some, the concept of academic freedom has become its own myth – an icon to be revered, an article of faith, an essentialist doctrine with roots firmly planted in tradition. For others, the concept of an inclusive university – a university reflecting the burgeoning diversity of cultures and ideologies in Canadian society – demands realization through the transformation of university structures and practices.

The four parts of Academic Freedom and the Inclusive University explore this conflict. In Clarifying Concepts in Language, Law, and Ideology, contributors examine the terms of reference and clarify the differences between Canadian and American viewpoints. The Changing Culture looks at the conflict between academic freedom and the inclusive university from theoretical, historical, and personal perspectives. The chapters in Academic Freedom in Peril contend that inclusion as a policy within the university has destroyed the consensus necessary for academic life, while the essays in Theoretical and Practical Challenges to the Inclusive University focus on the problems that arise when universities promote a policy of inclusion.

Although no final conclusions are drawn in this thought-provoking book, it provides insight into the relationship between academic freedom and the inclusive university. Lively, impassioned and informed, these essays will appeal to general readers, academics, and students alike.