Drawing insights from the past and different countries, I revisit the role of academicians as public intellectuals in contemporary societies to better understand the contours of academic freedom. Central to this quest is examining academicians in a teaching–learning environment: do they provide students with the freedom to learn? The article introduces the imagery of ‘running mates’ and ‘Trojan horses’, grounded in the communicative dynamics between the instructor and the learner. After that, I argue that spokespersonship or Trojan-horse tactics must be discouraged to avoid compromising academic freedom and democracy. Against this backdrop, I finally gesture particular possibilities for academicians in a teaching–learning environment.
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