Establishing Academic Freedom: Politics, Principles, and the Development of Core Values (Higher Education and Society)

Today, academic freedom is a core value in American higher education, and tenure is its primary protection. Yet modern understandings of faculty rights and responsibilities did not arise without difficulties; they were debated and defined by American academics in the decades leading up to World War II. Conditional agreements during this period set the stage for modern conditions of faculty work and fundamental elements of American higher education. Through its examination of the development and experiences of academic freedom and tenure—and, especially, the activities of the professional, voluntary, and labor organizations that battled over their establishment—this book provides the historical context necessary for understanding modern debates over academic freedom, tenure, and the widespread casualization of academic labor.