By Ashok Swain
In recent years, the rise of right-wing governments across the globe has been accompanied by a concerted attack on education and academia. The ascendance of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States for the second time marked a pivotal moment in this trend, His administration has aggressively targeted higher education institutions, slashed funding for scientific research and even moved to dismantle the Department of Education.
This broader right-wing movement, fueled by misinformation and a disdain for intellectualism, views academia as an ideological adversary, seeking to delegitimise scholars, curtail academic freedoms and reshape the educational landscape to align with their political objectives.
This wave of hostility toward academia is not an isolated phenomenon but part of a global strategy employed by right-wing populist leaders. From Argentina under Javier Milei to Hungary under Viktor Orbán, India under Narendra Modi, and Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, similar patterns emerge: universities are defunded, critical scholars are demonised and the very foundation of academic inquiry is threatened.
The academic community must recognise this attack for what it is: an existential crisis that endangers not just universities but democracy itself.
The animosity toward academia among right-wing leaders stems from a fundamental ideological clash. Institutions of higher learning encourage critical thinking, evidence-based reasoning, and the questioning of authority – all of which are antithetical to the authoritarian tendencies of many right-wing movements.
These governments see universities as breeding grounds for dissent, as places where progressive ideals flourish and where policies rooted in nationalism, religious fundamentalism or corporate interests are scrutinised and challenged.
This story was originally published in scroll.in. Read the full story here.
