Academic Freedom Committee

Please note that this information will be outdated by the end of the 2013 ISA Annual Convention. We will update ISA Leadership information (including officers and committees) on our new website in mid-April. A summary of new ISA Committee members is available for download here (PDF).

Created by ISA’s Governing Council in 2009 and first assembled in 2010, the Academic Freedom Committee (AFC) is charged with documenting instances where scholars in all disciplines related to international studies are persecuted for their peaceful, non-partisan, professional or personal activities, particularly when engaged in activities related to scholarly research and teaching. The Committee will document such violations as: government revocation of academic degrees; demotion or dismissal; denial of a petition to emigrate, travel abroad or return to one's country of origin; and arrest, arbitrary detention, disappearance, and extrajudicial killing (See Outreach/Resources).

About

Terms

  • Five members serve three-year, staggered terms
  • Terms officially begin with the ISA Governing Council meeting of the first year listed and end with the closing of the ISA Governing Council meeting of the final year listed

Selection

  • Permanent standing committee
  • The Committee is appointed by ISA President with approval by ISA Governing Council
  • One member of the Executive Committee will sit on the AFC and serve as Chair
  • President and Executive Director of ISA will serve as ex-officio members

Responsibilities

The mandate of the AFC includes all scholars of international studies, beginning with but not limited to members of the ISA and affiliated national international studies associations. This policy pertains only to the non-partisan, peaceful conduct of academic activities and freedom of expression. Any actions taken under this policy must not contradict ISA's prohibition regarding involvement in political issues.

In cases of documented, serious, and urgent threats to academic freedom, the AFC may, in consultation with the ISA President and Executive Director, publicize the threat or violation through official ISA newsletters, email lists and other relevant means, and urge ISA members to take action on an individual basis. The AFC may also recommend that ISA join the official advocacy efforts of peer organizations or express its concern directly to relevant government officials and international bodies. All action by the ISA as an organization requires a) in cases where urgent action is required, the unanimous consent of the voting members of the Executive Committee or b) in all other circumstances, a two-thirds majority of the Governing Council. Letters of inquiry and concern may be signed by the ISA President, the Governing Council, or the AFC, as deemed appropriate. The President may act on behalf of the ISA only with the expressed consent (as above) of the Executive Committee or Governing Council.

The AFC will convene in a formal session once a year at the annual meeting of ISA to review overall policies. For individual cases, Committee members will maintain electronic contact between sessions and can take up new cases and make proposals to the Executive Committee at any time during the year.

Members

Will H. Moore

CHAIR | FEB 2010 - MAR 2013
Florida State University
will.moore@fsu.edu

Mark Boyer

MEMBER | FEB 2010 - MAR 2013
University of Connecticut
mark.boyer@uconn.edu
Harvey Starr

MEMBER | MAR 2011 - MAR 2014
University of South Carolina
starr-harvey@sc.edu

Zhu Feng

MEMBER | APR 2012 - FEB 2015
Peking University, China
zhufeng@pku.edu.cn
Evelyn Goh

MEMBER | APR 2012 - FEB 2015
University of London
evelyn.goh@rhul.ac.uk

Etel Solingen

EX-OFFICIO | APR 2012 - APR 2013
University of California, Irvine
etel.solingen@uci.edu
Thomas J. Volgy

EX-OFFICIO | FEB 1995 - JUN 2015
International Studies Association
University of Arizona
isa@isanet.org

Resources

We encourage those interested in these issues to visit the following websites for more information about academic freedom issues world-wide: