Sinead O’Gorman: Academic freedom in a complex world
This year’s World Press Freedom Day (03 May) marked the 30th anniversary of the UNESCO Declaration for the Development of a Free, Independent and Pluralistic Press. As our guest Sinead O’Gorman reminds us, freedom of expression is intertwined with freedom of movement.
Over the past 20 years, Scholars at Risk has worked at the intersection of these two fundamental rights, steering scholars who have been forced to leave their countries towards safe havens for their research and their personal safety. As Sinead puts it, “the job of the scholar is to write and say things that others might not want to hear”. In our conversation, she sheds a light on how Scholars at Risk is fighting for academic and personal freedom, and how international higher education can contribute to the cause.
About Sinead O'Gorman
Sinead O’Gorman is the European Director at Scholars at Risk (SAR). Based at Maynooth University, she leads the promotion of SAR’s mission in Europe, the coordination of activities with the existing 8 SAR national sections and 10 partner networks across Europe, and the establishment of new national SAR sections. Sinead joined SAR in 2007 as Deputy Executive Director of the New York office, having previously served as Program Officer – Africa at the Institute of International Education (IIE). Prior to that, she held programme and research positions at the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics (CARA) and at the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS).
Further reading
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ All hands on deck: delivering academic freedom for Europe (EUA Expert Voices)
→ Dangerous questions: Why not keep quiet? (EAIE blog)
→ Dangerous Questions: Why Academic Freedom Matters (Online course from Scholars at Risk)
→ Free to Think 2020 (Scholars at Risk)
→ Pathways to practice: Welcoming scholars at risk to campus (EAIE members only)
Stay tuned
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