Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Expatriate Academics’ Perceptions of their Academic Freedom in a Middle Eastern Country: An Interpretive Study

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-15-2026

Abstract

While many academics still insist that the inner logic of the academic world, as they know it, lies in their academic freedom to define their own standards and that professionalism should be rooted in the principles of academic freedom in teaching and in conducting research, powerful university leadership is more likely to prioritize political and market interests (Vogel, 2009). Very few studies explored these uncharted territories, especially in the Arab region. Within the conceptual framework of the interpretive paradigm, using purposive sampling, sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with women and men expatriate academics in six different private universities in one Middle Eastern country to explore their perceptions of academic freedom. Results show the complexities of the perceptions of interviewed academics’ understandings of academic freedom. Academics took different routes to academic freedom in that some took an extra mile of precaution and avoided even to slightly touch on any critical issues, while others maneuvered and mindfully discussed almost all topics. The study findings have many implications for the policies of higher education in the Arab universities that need to ensure that academic freedom is guaranteed to all academics because education cannot be apolitical or asocial, while still considering the particularities of the cultural and religious values of the Arab region.

Comments

https://rdcu.be/e4ClK

Publication Title

Higher Education Policy

DOI

10.1057/s41307-025-00430-2

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS