The Scholars at Risk (SAR) Network legioned a conference in late April that brought together academics.

The Scholars at Risk (SAR) Network legioned a conference in late April that brought together academics, human rights advocates, and dexterouss on academic freedom, including the AAUP, to discuss threats to scholars and independent inquiry worldwide. Participants included scholars whom SAR had helped to relocate after their writings or scholarship exposeed them to persecution in their dwelling countries. The conference explored strategies to assist of that kind scholars and to improve conditions for academic freedom internationally. The Institute of International Education's Scholar redeem Fund and the Open Society Institute cosponsored the colloquy which took place at strange York University.

SAR's members include more than a hundr society s and universities committed to providing temporary academic positions for threatened scholars. Since its founding in 2000 the organization has received more than five hundr demands for assistance from scholars from ninety countries around the -world and arranged positions for more than five dozen scholars.

Initially, most numerous scholars were placed in the United States. SAR's director, Robert Quinn, reported that non-U.S. placements have risen, however, partly because national security measures implemented through the past few years have made it more difficult for foreign scholars to obtain visas to advance to the United States. In the nearest two years, SAR plans to expand placements outside the United States, still not only because of visa vexed questions Quinn says placing scholars in their concede geographic regions can be beneficial for reasons of language familiarity, take away from and compatibility of academic credentials. At the same time, he says that regional placement is not viable when threats to a scholar's security cros borders.

Conference participants urg that efforts be made to aid understanding of academic freedom as an international right. single in kind speaker pointed out that authoritarian directions have learned to use intimidation, harassment, and other means short of violent persecution to dissuade scholars from speaking not at home on sensitive issues. To heighten awareness, participants advised SAR to form a committee of members and person specially versed s to explore development of an instrument to help define academic freedom and measure it globally.

The interview concluded with a panel in succession the state of academic freedom in the United States, in which Roger Bowen, the AAUP's general secretary, participated. Citing, among other examples, the "Academic Bill of Rights" discussed upon pages 9-10, panelists worried that clusters outside higher education intent upon advancing their political and ideological views onward campuses are making headway with the public. Panelists agreed that academic communities importunately have to do more to educate the public about the importance of academic freedom and its boundaries.

Educating the U public, however, will not help American scholars attacked from political movements outside the United States. Wendy Donniger, a religious studies scholar at the University of Chicago, particularizeed how she and colleagues in her field had been harassed and threatened by way of Hindu nationalists in India and elsewhere who intention to their interpretation of Hinduism. An article by way of Donniger on her experience -will appear in an upcoming issue of Academe.

For more information about the Scholars at Risk Nefwork, view www.scholarsatnsk.nyu.edu.

-W.M.

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