This article examines academic freedom within the neoliberal restructuring of universities, conceptualising academia as an assemblage of dynamic and contested elements. It argues that neoliberal logics of marketisation, precarity, and managerialism reshape academic values, narrowing freedom to align with capitalist imperatives. Against this backdrop, the article analyses two Italian case studies regarding debates on cutting ties with Israeli universities complicit in military oppression [1]. Their divergent outcomes illustrate how definitions of academic freedom may differ within the specific assemblages of technical and general universities. Ultimately, the article calls for a critical engagement with academic freedom’s political dimensions.
Academia as an assemblage : academic freedom and boycotting Israel
Falzea, Luca
2026
Abstract
This article examines academic freedom within the neoliberal restructuring of universities, conceptualising academia as an assemblage of dynamic and contested elements. It argues that neoliberal logics of marketisation, precarity, and managerialism reshape academic values, narrowing freedom to align with capitalist imperatives. Against this backdrop, the article analyses two Italian case studies regarding debates on cutting ties with Israeli universities complicit in military oppression [1]. Their divergent outcomes illustrate how definitions of academic freedom may differ within the specific assemblages of technical and general universities. Ultimately, the article calls for a critical engagement with academic freedom’s political dimensions.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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