About the focus area A free knowledge society

The governance of the higher education sector influences research, education and collaboration in several key ways. Academic principles of collegiality, personal development and curiosity as a driving force are today facing strong competition from principles such as measurability and employability, as well as from interpretations of what is considered to be of value. 

At the same time, authoritarian, populist and nationalist ideologies are specifically aimed at undermining critical perspectives on knowledge – for example, those that highlight vulnerable minorities, exclusionary norms surrounding gender, body and ethnicity, and how power and oppression create inequality. 

We analyse and highlight changes and consequences for the higher education sector, both as a democratic institution and as a working and learning environment. But also for the society of which the sector forms a part. The focus area contributes critical perspectives, drawing on a tradition of gender research.