Intellectual Freedom and the Dissolution of Values in Academia

This chapter examines the impact of neoliberalism on the foundational academic value of intellectual freedom, and explores how the erosion of academic freedom generates emotional dissonance and eventually drives academics from the profession. It draws from interviews with 42 former tenured or tenure-track academics from the United States who voluntarily left the profession. Findings reveal a disconnect between institutional demands and individual academic values. Neoliberal reforms prioritise metrics-driven performance indicators, such as publication rankings, grant acquisition, and student satisfaction, all of which commodify research and teaching, thus constraining intellectual autonomy. Participants described intellectual freedom as both an aspirational ideal and a professional necessity, yet under neoliberal governance, it became unattainable. This shift from values- to performance-driven priorities has undermined collegiality, marginalised exploratory research, and left academics feeling alienated, disillusioned and emotionally exhausted. By centering intellectual freedom, this chapter highlights its paradoxical role in academia: Although communicated as essential for knowledge production, its maintenance is systematically undermined by institutional logics of competition and quantification. The participants’ decision to leave academia reflects both a rejection of neoliberal paradigms and a struggle to reconcile personal ideals with institutional realities.