Short Abstract

Academic freedom and freedom of speech are today divisive and politically polarized topics. This panel invites contributors to reflect on the lived experience of silencing, self-silencing, and the place of silence in academic life and the production of academic knowledge.

Long Abstract

Academic freedom and freedom of speech are today divisive and politically polarized topics. Top-down processes of silencing by governmental or other institutional actors are threatening academic freedom, leading scholars to self-censor and modify research agendas to align with political powers. At the same time, practices of silencing and self-silencing operate throughout academia in more subtle ways. Fearing criticism or ostracizing by peers, colleagues, or mentors, scholars find themselves under pressure to silence dissenting opinions or perspectives. In the case of anthropological investigation, speculating on the potential reactions of our interlocutors can also shape anthropologists' expression in interesting ways, either in the course of fieldwork or writing. Considering that the plurality of perspectives is essential to the creative process and the production of knowledge, speaking openly about practices of silence in academia is an urgent task.

This panel invites reflections on the lived experience of silencing and self-silencing, and on the place of silence in the production of anthropological knowledge. We welcome ethnographically grounded as well as conceptual contributions that address both overt and subtle forms of silencing—whether institutional, interpersonal, or methodological. We ask: how do scholars negotiate silence and speech in their research, teaching, or public engagement? What motivates silence over expression, and with what epistemic and ethical implications? How do digital technologies and social media amplify or shape these dynamics? Under what conditions might silence be generative, creative, or subversive? By foregrounding silence as an often-overlooked practice, the panel seeks to open space for critical reflection on the conditions of knowledge production today.

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