On academic freedom in the time of symbolic liberalism: Reflections on the debate

Abstract

This article responds to seven scholarly commentaries on my original piece, Societal Polarization, Academic Freedom, and the Promise of Dialogical Sociology. I engage with key critiques through four themes: conceptual frameworks, contestation of data, societal intolerance, and Zionism, concluding with a call to confront increasing societal intolerance. I defend the utility of terms like cancel culture and symbolic liberalism, the latter describing actors who espouse liberal values while practicing political illiberalism. I clarify that my critique does not equate the Left and Right, but interrogates how self-identified liberals may also restrict academic freedom. In response to concerns about empirical foundations, I reaffirm that academic freedom is facing a modest but meaningful decline, citing expert indices and disinvitation data. I attribute this erosion not only to state policies or populism, but also to bureaucratic and student-led overreach driven by ‘safetyism’ and therapeutic culture. The proliferation of victim-centered identity politics has fragmented dialogue and heightened self-censorship. I discuss the Gaza war and gender-critical feminism as illustrative case studies where both conservatives and symbolic liberals have curtailed academic freedom. I argue that critiques of Israeli state policy – especially amid actions characterized by major organizations as genocidal – should not be conflated with antisemitism. Finally, I call for a renewed commitment to dialogical sociology, emphasizing principled engagement over cancellation. Universities must remain spaces for critical debate and reasoned dissent, especially amid rising societal polarization, authoritarian populism, and performative liberalism that suppresses genuine pluralism under the guise of moral certainty.