ABSTRACT
Academic freedom may seem like it has never been so intensely challenged. The concept appears at times as if it is ill-loved, ill-understood, and ill-protected. Academic freedom is not only violated but is also increasingly contested. There is no doubt that considerable pressures have come to bear on universities that vie to reshape their function. In that respect, pressures on academic freedom must also be seen as part of a broader crisis of universities. Over the past decade alone, the rise and ubiquity of digital media; profound changes in global academic flows; rankings; competition over students; and social networks have all contributed to a profound transformation not only of universities but also of discourses about universities.
