No. 115/2023

Russia is the most prominent example of advancing autocratisation; in political science, India, Turkey and Hungary are no longer considered to be democracies, whilst elected governments in countries like Brazil, Poland and South Africa curtail democratic norms and institutions. “Academic freedom is reliant on democracy and the rule of law,” Kinzelbach warns. CHINA: STRATEGY URGENTLY NEEDED Moreover, the scientific community is facing a completely new challenge, she notes: nowadays, top-level research is also being conducted in autocratic systems. “You can’t just lean back anymore and claim the greatest freedom produces the greatest excellence,” says the political scientist. “For the first time, we are now witnessing repressive academic systems, especially China, turning into serious competitors.” “At the level of individual researchers, we have found some really good answers to repres­ sion,” says Kinzelbach, referring to programmes like the Humboldt Foundation’s Philipp students on the spot, of course, Kinzelbach emphasises. But, globally speaking, a lack of academic freedom also restricts the self- regulation of research – for instance, when technical progress and ethical issues collide, as in the case of genetic engineering or collecting sensitive data. “Of course, that’s much harder to balance out in a context where not all academic disciplines are free to participate in the knowledge process,” says Kinzelbach. “I still think the answer lies in continuing to foster networking and exchange between individuals, but I would be a lot more careful when it comes to institutional collaborations with autocracies because then there is a much greater risk of instrumentalisation,” says Kinzelbach. “Apart from which, I would like to see us engaging much more with countries where, according to the relevant rankings, excellence is not yet so well developed,” she says. “This means linking research both with social responsibility and the idea of participation – and recognising excellence amongst those who conduct research under difficult conditions.” Text MARLENE HALSER “ A LACK OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM RESTRICTS THE SELF- REGULATION OF RESEARCH. Schwartz Initiative for researchers at risk. Kinzelbach is a member of the programme’s selection committee and thus knows it well. “But structural ly and institutional ly there are still a lot of unanswered questions,” she says. What sort of partnerships can we have with universities where the research is controlled by narrow political requirements? The biggest problem is for the researchers and Photo: FAU/Pöhlein 17 HUMBOLDT KOSMOS 115/2023