In den USA unter der Trump-Regierung werden Budgetkürzungen an Hochschulen explizit als Druckmittel genutzt, um diese inhaltlich politisch auf Kurs zu bringen. Die Hochschulen in den USA sollen gezielt geschwächt werden. (Rechtswidrige) Budgetkürzungen sind dafür ein wirksamer Hebel. Aber wie ist es in Deutschland? Auch hier wird in fast allen Bundesländern massiv an den Hochschulen gekürzt. Manche rutschen bereits ins Defizit. Ist das wirklich nur ein Mittel der Haushaltskonsolidierung? Oder geraten auch in Deutschland Hochschulen unter politischen Druck? Und vor allem – was können wir dagegen tun?

Understanding the Hungarian illiberal playbook in higher education and research, facilitating the circulation of strategies aimed at transforming state institutions and redefining national identity, is essential for recognizing broader global patterns of democratic backsliding. Equally important is the development of protective mechanisms for academic freedom and institutional autonomy. Initiatives such as the Pocket Guide for Academics Under Attack provide practical tools for scholars facing political pressure, harassment, and restrictions on research and teaching. By examining both the diffusion of illiberal strategies and the emergence of transnational resistance networks, the webinar highlights how academia can strengthen democratic resilience and defend the principles of intellectual freedom in increasingly hostile political environments.

Andrea Pető is a Professor at the Department of Gender Studies at Central European University, Vienna, Austria, a Research Affiliate of the CEU Democracy Institute, Budapest, Her works on gender, illiberalism, and politics have been translated into 26 languages. She received numerous awards for her contributions to public life, including the 2018 All European Academies (ALLEA) Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values and the 2022 University of Oslo Human Rights

No rest for the Polish academics…After a period of institutional reforms underpinned by political polarisation, the change of government in 2023 opened expectations of renewal. Yet many of the structural problems of Polish academia remain unresolved: underfunding of research, unstable rules of evaluation, precarious careers, uneven internationalisation, and ever-lasting tensions between institutional autonomy and political steering, all against the background of unpredictable geopolitics. Since pressures on academic institutions is likely to grow in the future, the talk will take stock of some of the most important factors in the current condition of Polish universities and research institutions as seen through the lens of the broader transformation of Polish society and democracy. Which legacies of previous reforms continue to shape academic life? Is there an opportunity for more fundamental reconstruction, or should we brace for more neo-liberal governance mixed with political hand-steering?

Marta Bucholc is Professor of Sociology at the University of Warsaw, a Permanent Fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna, and a member of the Council of Poland’s National Science Centre (NCN).

Das Webinar gibt Einblick in die Studie „Rechtspopulismus und Rechtsextremismus in Hochschulen“. Dabei wird der Fokus auf Betroffenenperspektiven gelegt, die in der wissenschaftlichen und öffentlichen Auseinandersetzung bisher kaum eine Rolle spielen. Die Studie zeigt, dass Betroffene an Hochschulen Erfahrungen von Sprachlosigkeit und Vereinzelung machen. Ihre Erfahrungen und Umgangsweisen können ein wichtiger Bezugspunkt sein, um Rechtspopulismus und Rechtsextremismus in Hochschulen wissenschaftsspezifisch zu begegnen.

This talk will examine the cyclical impact of authoritarianism on academic freedom and university autonomy in Turkey, demonstrating how successive periods of political authoritarianism have historically eroded academic freedom and constrained university autonomy. Psychology departments will be used as a case study to demonstrate the dynamics of censorship and self-censorship.

Olga Selin Hünler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Acıbadem University.

The talk will discuss the parallel trajectory of democratic backsliding and erosion of academic freedom in recent times. Reviewing the history of academic freedom in India, it will show why democracy is a necessary but not sufficient condition for academic freedom.

Niraja Gopal Jayal is the Avantha Chair and Professor of Politics at King’s India Institute, King’s College London.

In 2025, students’ protests shook Serbian society. The academic community has been part of this tectonic movement in an unparalleled manner. The talk will offer reflections on the time required for social engagement, authoritarian responses to nonviolence, and the equation of the academy with the enemy.

Adriana Zaharijević is a philosopher based in Belgrade, where she works at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory as a Principal Research Fellow.

Weiterlesen: Brave Bodies in the Street (IWMpost) · Serbia’s students are showing the world democratic hope (The Guardian, 2025)