Self-censorship refers to the voluntary withholding of information, opinions, or beliefs, often due to fear of backlash or desire to conform to societal norms. This phenomenon is prevalent in academia, where professors may self-censor to avoid offending political, religious, or other sentiments. The paper explores the drivers and impacts of self-censorship among teachers through a qualitative study.
The literature review highlights how self-censorship stems from psychological factors like desire for social conformity and identity preservation. It is also driven by socio-political factors like the need for political correctness, fear of persecution, and policies of educational institutions that discourage open expression on certain topics. Past research has documented self-censorship's detrimental effects on academic freedom, scientific progress, and education quality. The study involved in-depth interviews with university professors from Indian universities. Thematic analysis revealed several common reasons for self-censorship: respecting students' divergent political/religious beliefs, institutional policies restricting speech on certain issues, inaccurate curricula requiring censoring of contrasting perspectives, fear of parental/societal backlash from expressing controversial views, and personal beliefs about the moral obligations of teachers. Participants felt increasing self-censorship due to technology exposing their views to wider audiences. The paper concludes that self-censorship is widely practiced by professors to negotiate complex personal, institutional and societal pressures. However, it inhibits open discourse vital for education and research. Recommendations include fostering an environment respectful of divergent views and reviewing policies that may inadvertently promote self-censorious attitudes.

Authors:
Salonee Jukar, Tilburg University, Netherlands
Abhijeet Raut, University of Mumbai, India

About the Presenter(s)
Salonee Jukar is a research masters student at Tilburg University, the Netherlands. She is an academic who is intrigued by people’s actions. As a social psychologist she is interested in social cohesion and decision-making.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/salonee-jukar-092b75207/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

Bookmark