Judith Butler

"Academic Norms and Critical Inquiry: Challenges for Difficult Times"

Recent debates suggest that "academic freedom" is a concept used by both liberal and conservative intellectuals, characterizing very different ideals for academic education. But what kind of "freedom" is at stake for both of these positions? Is there a critical position to be formulated that sidesteps the impasses produced by both liberal and conservative views on this question? And how do debates on academic freedom fit into larger political struggles over state control and surveillance as well as new rights discourses? What challenges have gender and sexuality studies posed to disciplinary paradigms? This talk addressed these questions and others of critical interest in the humanities.