Since learning about Hamline University’s recent firing of an instructor, the flurry of thoughts and...
academic freedom
Retraction Watch reports: “A Russian philosophy journal has retracted a paper about lesbian fashion magazines, citing a newly passed law that bans ‘propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations and (or) preferences.'” The journal is Logos (not to be confused with Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought & Culture or with Logos, the undergraduate philosophy journal at Cornell University), the author is Reina Lewis, a professor of Cultural Studies at the London College of Fashion at University of the Arts London, and the paper is, “Looking Good: The Lesbian Gaze and Fashion Imagery.” The paper is still online, but, Retraction Watch reports: an entry on the Russian database eLIBRARY indicates it was retracted for being “in violation of standards.” The notice continued: “The retraction was issued by the decision of the editorial board due to the presence of signs that fall under the scope of Law No.
According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), Wu Yanan, a philosophy lecturer at Nankai University in Tianjin, China, was taken by authorities under false pretenses and confined in a psychiatric institution for supporting anti-lockdown protestors. The officials reportedly claimed that they were taking Wu to get a COVID-19 test. However, RFA reports, she had on social media “accused the university authorities of betraying the ideals of its founder Zhang Boling by clamping down on the widespread protests” by students against strict, government-imposed lockdowns. RFA reports: Wang Qiang, a person familiar with the incident, said Wu had been a vocal supporter of the “white paper” protests. “There were some spontaneous memorials activities and blank paper protests on our university campus after the Urumqi fire [a fatal lockdown fire in Xinjiang’s regional capital Urumqi whose victimes were unable to escape the blaze because they had been locked into their own apartment building] and students who took part were hauled in to ‘drink tea’,” a euphemism for being questioned by the authorities, Wang said.