The Crisis of Academic Freedom at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century Europe in a Plural World

The end of the Cold War marked the beginning of a period of exuberance in many parts of the world in politics and economy as well as in the theoretical discourse in the social sciences. ¹ There was exuberance in higher education as well. This was in part a reflection of the perception of accelerating democratic advancements in higher education during this time, such as with regard to access (what appeared as significant and continuously increasing enrolments), further internationalization and liberalization of academic cooperation, and progress in university governance, such as with regard to institutional autonomy. ²