Task Force for the Protection of Academic Freedom

This group works to defend and advance scholars’ ability to freely pursue, distribute, and discuss their research in academia and in public life. Through the Task Force, the African Studies Association (ASA) monitors infringements on academic freedom in Africa, in the United States, and worldwide. Such infringements include a governmental refusal to allow scholars of Africa to conduct research, publish their findings, deliver academic lectures, and travel to international scholarly meetings. The Task Force documents and, where appropriate, protests against instances where professors and academic researchers are persecuted for their professional or personal activities. The Task Force is concerned with violations such as the revocation of academic degrees; demotion or dismissal; and arrests, arbitrary detention, disappearance, and extrajudicial killings. The Task Force likewise works to ensure that the subjects of academic research are not endangered or harmed by scholars’ work. It encourages ethical conduct in research, as defined in the ASA’s ‘Ethical Conduct Guidelines’, which can be found here:

https://africanstudies.org/about-the-asa/asa-ethical-conduct-guidelines/

The Task Force obtains information directly from concerned persons, from their professional associates, and from members of the ASA’s Coordinate or Affiliate Organizations. Evaluations of requests for action are coordinated within the Task Force in dialogue with the members of the ASA’s Advocacy Committee and in conversation with activists, legal experts, and other actors directly involved in the situation. The Task Force may compose a letter of inquiry to the appropriate authorities and, where necessary, follow-up with additional letters. If the Task Force deems it appropriate, it may compose a public statement concerning a case. All letters of inquiry, and all public statements, are issued by the Board of Directors for the ASA. These activities may be undertaken in coordination with other scholarly associations.

The members of the Task Force include representatives of the different ASA Coordinate Organizations. Each Coordinate nominates one representative to sit on the Task Force. The Chair may recruit additional members with topical expertise if needed. The Task Force works under the aegis of the Advocacy Committee of the ASA and ASA’s Advocacy policy. The ASA’s Secretariat provides logistical support to the Task Force and the ASA Executive Director sits on the Task Force as an ex-officio member.

Task Force members serve two-year terms.

The Task Force meets for discussion once a year during the ASA Annual Meeting. Members may maintain contact between sessions via email and can take up new cases at any time during the year.

The work of this Task Force is conducted in dialogue with the ASA’s wider advocacy work, detailed here: https://africanstudies.org/advocacy/. The Task Force augments and extends the ASA’s ongoing efforts to hold governments in the United States, Europe, Africa, and elsewhere responsible to the ideals of free inquiry.

Members of the ASA who wish to contact the Task Force should write to advocacy@africanstudies.org with details about the matter they wish to raise.

Members of the 2024-2025 Committee