Jeremy Perelman: The role of universities in political debates

Jeremy Perelman is Associate Professor at the Sciences Po Law School. He teaches or has taught courses on International Human Rights Law, Economic and Social Rights, Human Rights & Society, Human Rights, Global Poverty and Sustainable Development, as well as Human Rights and International Investment Law. He is also Vice President for International Affairs at Sciences Po.

Jeremy Perelman will discuss a recent report on the role and positioning of Sciences Po and other universities in political debates.

The world of higher education has crystallized a number of debates and passions that have intensified in recent years, reflecting a context characterized by the increasing polarization of political opinions and the emergence of major international conflicts. Universities, particularly those like Sciences Po that specialize in contemporary political, economic, and social issues and train future decision-makers, have found themselves scrutinized in their strategies and invited, even urged, to take positions, especially on key political issues and deadlines or major geopolitical conflicts.

Following October 7, 2023, a lively debate animated Sciences Po, like other institutions in France and around the world, on the coherence of the institution's positioning. Should it, as it did with public positions taken during the 2022 French presidential election or the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, take a stance on external events, particularly the war in Gaza? A number of internal actors (students, adjunct lecturers and Faculty, employees of Sciences Po) as well as external ones (alumni, donors, members of parliament, media, political actors) challenged the institution, some asking it to take a position on the conflict between Israel and Hamas; others considering that demonstrations on this subject within Sciences Po made it harder for diverse opinions to express themselves and challenged the university’s internal order.

Jeremy Perelman will talk about how the report addresses some central questions: as an institution, should Sciences Po take a position on current political and social issues, or should it, on the contrary, abstain from doing so? What are the consequences of a potential institutional stance on the conditions enabling the university to carry out its research and knowledge transmissionmissions? How can a potential institutional stance be articulated with respecting the diversity of opinions and the freedom of teaching and research?