The university has become a key site of the ‘culture wars’ as notions of objectivity in social science, neutrality and academic freedom have recently come under scrutiny. Academics and departments have become objects of ‘ideological targeting’, often criticised for holding a ‘liberal bias’, or conversely for propagating racialised and eugenics rhetoric under the name of freedom of speech. These conflicts often emerge through anti-elitist rhetoric, anti-intellectualist arguments, and increasing pressure from international enrolment, and growing xenophobic tensions. Through these debates, the university has become a battleground for wider political battles including the status of state of Palestine, the definition of gender and identity, and the ethics of no-platforming.

In particular, this project will examine how the university and urban space are redefined under conflicts over the legacies of colonial and imperial extraction alongside resurgent nationalist interests.