From 26–28 May 2025, SCAS hosted a timely and thought-provoking workshop titled Academic Freedom and Self-Censorship, co-organized with the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH) at the University of Cambridge. This workshop marked the first in a new series of collaborative events under the banner of the North Sea Dialogues, a SCAS–CRASSH initiative designed to foster deeper engagement between research communities across institutions and borders.

Over the course of three days, scholars from various disciplines and career stages convened at SCAS to address a growing concern in contemporary research environments: academic freedom and self-censorship. Participants examined how scholars may limit their research, teaching, or public communication due to perceived risks—be they reputational, institutional, or personal.

In his keynote lecture, Why Academics Are Such Poor Defenders of Their Own Liberties, Professor Sten Widmalm provided a compelling entry point into the workshop’s themes by situating questions of academic freedom and self-censorship within the Swedish context. Drawing on findings from the Open Society project, partially funded by the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency, he presented data on how Swedes perceive threats to democracy and patterns of self-censorship.

Structured around interactive sessions, the workshop created space not only for reflection but also for collaboration. Sessions led by CRASSH and SCAS researchers encouraged open dialogue and mutual learning.

As part of the workshop, Professor Alisse Waterston held a seminar, Knowledge is Power—or Is It?, in which she reflected on the role and value of public scholarship in a world marked by rising violence, inequality, and pressure to self-censor. Through a series of open questions, she challenged participants to consider what scholarly work can—and should—do in society today.

As the inaugural gathering of the North Sea Dialogues, the event not only illuminated the challenges of self-censorship but also opened new pathways for sustained international collaboration around academic freedom.

This is the first in a series of planned workshops on related topics. The collaborative work is intended to inspire a variety of outcomes in different formats, such as case studies, position papers, essays and online tools.

Text by Ellen Werner