“This Is Not Normal”: The Global Academy’s Resistance to Authoritarianism and Academic Capitalism

Authors

Catherine A. LaBrenz, University of Texas at ArlingtonFollow
Christian Adeleke, University of Texas at ArlingtonFollow
Maria Lúcia T. Garcia, Federal University of Espíritu Santo, BrazilFollow
Aline Pandolfi, Federal University of Espíritu Santo, BrazilFollow
Mara Mattioni, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Universidad Nacional de Jose C. Paz, ArgentinaFollow
Fabíola Xavier Leal, Federal University of Espíritu Santo, BrazilFollow
Marcela Nava, University of Texas at ArlingtonFollow

Abstract

Summary: In the wake of rising authoritarianism and neoliberal retrenchment, academic institutions across the globe are increasingly pressured to suppress dissent, sanitize curricula, and deprioritize justice-based scholarship. Drawing from responses to political repression in Brazil and Argentina, this paper connects present-day U.S. conditions to transnational histories of academic resistance.

Findings: We locate today’s institutional silencing within the broader logics of academic capitalism and authoritarian governance, emphasizing how compliance, rather than critical engagement, is becoming the new normal.

Applications: Drawing on radical traditions of academic and professional resistance from the Americas, we present lessons learned and action steps that can guide justice-oriented disciplines within institutions of higher education in their pursuit of responding to and resisting against rising authoritarianism and safeguarding human rights.

Recommended Citation

LaBrenz, Catherine A.; Adeleke, Christian; Garcia, Maria Lúcia T.; Pandolfi, Aline; Mattioni, Mara; Leal, Fabíola Xavier; and Nava, Marcela (2025) "“This Is Not Normal”: The Global Academy’s Resistance to Authoritarianism and Academic Capitalism," Fast Capitalism: Vol. 22: Iss. 1, Article 23.
DOI: 10.32855/1930-014X.1022
Available at: https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/fastcapitalism/vol22/iss1/23