Episode 13: Does 'Wokeness' threaten Academic Freedom?
In this episode, host Chang Sun invited Dr. Constance Sommerey and Dr. Darian Meacham to join the DSMINDSETS Podcast.
Introduction
Dr. Constance Sommerey is director of UM Diversity and Inclusivity Office, where she translates ideas about diversity and inclusivity into concrete policies and helps students and staff feel valued for their individual, diverse viewpoints and experiences.
The other guest speaker in this episode is Dr. Darian Meacham who is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Principal Investigator for Ethics and Responsible Innovation at the BISS Institute. His main teaching and research interests are in political philosophy, phenomenology, philosophy of technology, and bioethics.
Wokeness in Science and Academia
They have a very engaging conversation about what 'wokeness' means for society, companies and academia and they also talk about the question whether 'wokeness' can even threaten academic freedom?
‘Woke culture’ as it is often called in the university setting, implies a supposed threatening element of violent intolerance or ‘woke’ people’s inability to discuss dissenting ideas. On the one hand, wokeness is therefore often depicted as a threat to traditional ideas and practices, and on the other hand perceived as a threat to freedom of speech, discussion and even scientific objectivity. Darian explains that he himself is very critical about thinking of wokeness in this way.
Together, Constance and Darian explain concepts that are often used as buzzwords these days and how these notions work together. Thereby, they do not claim to solve these complexities or fully grasp everything around it. However, both stress the importance of having a conversation about it.
This episode is very philosophical compared to previous talks, so definitely let us know what you think about it and which other topics you would like us to cover with Constance and Darian in the future. Just send us a direct message on Instagram, we are looking forward to hearing from you.
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