Publications Research

Ivory Tower on Dirt: The Impact of Regime Change on Academic Freedom in Indonesian Universities

Ivory Tower on Dirt: The Impact of Regime Change on Academic Freedom in Indonesian Universities

Academic freedom is an essential aspect of university, by which it functions as a socio-cultural institution. For the sake of its political position, government regimes in any state of the world are interested in having control over university. Therefore, the change of regime often had certain effects on the working of universities, including their academic freedom practice. This paper seeks to investigate the impacts of regime change in Indonesia during the period of 1950-1980 on the way Indonesian universities examines the principle of academic freedom during the period of 1950-1980. Based on first hand sources of information and interview, the paper argues that Sukarno’s anti-colonial and revolutionary policies and then Suharto’s anti-communist and developmental projects have manipulated Indonesian universities and disrupted substantially their practice of academic freedom. The aftermath of this regime change contributes in shaping the nature of academic freedom practice in present day Indonesian universities.

Download

Author:  Abdul Wahid

Topics: Academic Freedom