The ideal of academic freedom is the cornerstone of higher education. Increasingly however, state control has encroached upon the universities' traditional freedoms. Conrad Russell, uniquely experienced and knowledgeable, confronts this controversial clash between university and state. By examining the rights and conflicting demands of the two, Russell redefines the powers of both. Have universities the right to run their own affairs? What duties do universities owe to the state? Have universities the right to public money? What are the limits of the state's power to control academic freedom? Academic Freedom addresses these questions and more in an informed historical and philosophical account of the nature of academic freedom.
The years since 1981 have been one of the three of four lowest points in the relationship between the Universities and the State in 800 years of English history. Conrad Russell looks at the dispute which has implications for academic freedom.
