Don't Let China Impose Taboos on Universities
A British lecturer sets off a clash between academic ideals and commercial pragmatism. The outcome won’t surprise you.
People's Republic of China and India are seen upside down on the public art sculpture The World Turned Upside Down by artist Mark Wallinger in London, 2022.
Photographer: Mike Kemp/In PicturesIn 2021, the Russell Group of 24 leading British universities published an unequivocal statement of its commitment to protecting academic freedom. The institutions would “always champion the importance of free speech,” the group’s chief executive officer wrote, noting that diverse views and disagreement were fundamental to advancing knowledge. The group might want to have a word with its biggest member. At University College London, terms and conditions appear to apply.
A UCL lecturer was barred from teaching a research module she created and had been delivering for a decade after Chinese students complained that one of the exercises it contained was “provocative,” according to a thread she posted on Elon Musk’s X, following a report in the Telegraph newspaper. Michelle Shipworth, an associate professor of energy and social sciences, was told she’d been accused of bias, which was damaging the reputation of her employer and its prospects of attracting students from China.