Academic Freedom within Ethno-Political Culture: An Exploration of Practitioners’ Perspectives

Abstract

The EPRDF-led transitional government adopted ethnic federalism responding to the student movement’s ‘national oppression’ claim. In essence, it is a progressive federalism. However, the ‘national question’ intensified conflict, even in universities. This study explored practitioners’ perception of academic freedom and its practical bottlenecks in Ethiopian universities, with a focus on Haramaya University. For this study, the researcher employed a qualitative approach to conduct the study. The empirical data required for the study were gathered from in-depth semi-structured interviews with 12 purposively selected academics. The data were analyzed using methods of thematic analysis which largely involved meticulous processes of identifying codes and construction of themes and sub-themes. The study revealed academic freedom encounters certain limitations. Academics in social sciences and humanities attribute the political significance of ethnicity in Ethiopia's political system. However, they contended academic freedom and ethnicity stand in tension and argued Ethiopia utilized negative ethnicity. The finding also revealed that creating safe and supportive contexts for academic freedom is essential to fostering a culture of free thoughts, critical reflections and profound intellectual engagement with the complexities of ethnicity and ethnic federalism. Besides, academics often refrained from politically sensitive inquires, particularly around ethnicity, opting for safer studies. Finally, a climate of caution was evident, as academics sought to avoid repercussions, ethnic pigeon-holing, and antagonism. This study recommends that policy makers and institutions foster intercultural dialogue, strengthen institutional resilience, and create enabling environments that safeguard academic freedom beyond legal protections.