WS B: Academic Activism – Pushing Back Against Hegemony

In today’s world, power dynamics are starkly visible—whether in the devastation of Gaza or the war in Ukraine. The normalization of the Other as a threat is evident in political rhetoric worldwide, from the speeches of the U.S. president (referring to DEI policies as “tyranny”)  to those of Serbian and Hungarian leaders, just to name a few. These narratives send a pervasive message: You are not powerful enough! And they include a warning: Do not risk becoming the Other! These messages reinforce hierarchies, discourage resistance, and deepen divisions between those who belong and those who are marginalized.

This workshop focuses on the nexus between academia and activism. We will question our role as members of the academic education community in today’s context. Academics have to continuously reflect on their role in this context—are we perpetuating or challenging narratives of discrimination, vulnerability, and hegemony in educational biographies, educational institutions and educational policies?

We will share insights from our professional engagements as potential responses to these questions, highlighting the role of education in activism. These include efforts to decolonize curricula and institutions, collaborate across country and disciplinary borders, advocate for marginalized groups, co-create research contexts and enable participatory research activities, amplify student voices through participation, and use teaching and research as tools for conscientization. Academic activism focuses on both transfer of research findings for societal change but also the engagement in transformation processes (e.g., Cann & DeMeulenaere 2020). These examples demonstrate that education plays an important role in shaping societies. However, their impact is often limited by the time lag between teaching, research, and change, as well as by broader power dynamics that extend beyond the educational sphere (Gardner et al., 2021).

Recognizing these challenges, this workshop will explore how the academic community can contribute not only through research and teaching but also through public collective actions that push for social transformation now.

The emergence of collective action, including within academia, is closely tied to narratives. These narratives serve as discursive tools that empower individuals to make choices under uncertainty and exercise agency (Ganz, 2011). Mobilizing narratives, in particular, address critical questions: Why am I addressed? Why are WE involved? And why are we called to act NOW?

This workshop will explore the narratives that have the potential to mobilize the academic community today.

The discussion will center on three key questions:

• Why should the academic community take an active role in critiquing existing structures and proposing new possibilities?
• Which issues can and should mobilize the academic community today?
• What tools, practices, and knowledge can the academic community use to contribute to change?

The workshop will also feature voices from students and university professors involved in the ongoing student protests in Serbia, which call for greater transparency and accountability from state institutions. Although the outcomes of these protests remain uncertain in the moment of submitting the workshop proposal, these experiences serve as a case study of how academic activism can take shape in practice, offering valuable lessons for scholars committed to resistance, advocacy, and structural change.