The event was held in June in Bogotá, during the 10th Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Social Sciences
To generate networks of support and exchange experiences among academics, students, institutions, allies, and other actors who experience and study the issue of academic freedom in the Americas. This was one of the main objectives of the Forum “Strengthening Research on Academic Freedom in the Americas”, held on June 11 by CAFA and CLACSO, in the context of the 10th Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Social Sciences (CLACSO 2025).
Part of the call for research entitled “Strengthening Comparative Research and Critical Thinking in the Context of Academic Freedom in the Americas,” an initiative of CAFA in partnership with CLACSO, the Forum brought together researchers from the seven teams conducting studies to strengthen comparative research and critical thinking in the context of academic freedom in the Americas.
“We are seeing many growing attacks on the human right to academic freedom and, therefore, together with CLACSO, we are proposing this initiative to promote a fellowship program for the American continent. We plan to build a program based on comparative research and a more collective approach. These are research teams, which for us is an important feature of the program, as it is a methodological commitment to strengthening research as a collective effort and promoting the expansion of an ecosystem of knowledge production on the subject throughout the continent,” said Camilla Croso, executive director of CAFA, during the meeting.
The meeting lasted more than seven hours and was divided into two panels. The meeting presented progress on the seven research projects being developed by the initiative, which address issues such as gender and race, the commodification of knowledge, democracy, inequalities, the encroachment on academic freedom, and scientific denialism.
In addition to Camilla Croso, the meeting was attended by: Amanda Mendonça, adjunct professor at the Faculty of Teacher Training at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (FFP/UERJ); Laura Rovelli, from the Institute for Research in Humanities and Social Sciences at the National University of La Plata; Selma Venco, from the State University of Campinas (Unicamp); Gustavo Setrini, from FLACSO Paraguay; Jorge Enrique García Rincón, from the Association of Afro-Latin American and Caribbean Researchers; Clara Arenas, from the Association for the Advancement of Social Sciences in Guatemala; Fernando Romani, from the Faculty of Law at the University of São Paulo (Brazil); Juan Alfredo Tuesta Panduro, from the National Agrarian University of the Jungle (Peru); Tania Mata, from the Museum of Memory (El Salvador); and Vernor Muñoz, from the Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education (CLADE).
Watch the full recording of the event:
About the initiative: for the human right to academic freedom
Promoted by the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CAFA) in partnership with the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), the Fellowship initiative for strengthening comparative research and critical thinking in the context of academic freedom in the Americas seeks to contribute to transforming the Inter-American Principles on Academic Freedom and University Autonomy from aspirational ideals into tangible realities.
Considering the regional and global context, five lines of research were proposed for this research initiative: academic freedom and the pursuit of democracy; academic freedom and the strengthening of science and knowledge; the relationship between academic freedom and technologies; university autonomy; and overcoming structural inequalities.