Following the public debate, you might think that there is a war going on in the university between right-wing and wrong-wing academics. From the inside, everyday life looks very different – and impoverishing.
My recently retired teacher said that the university is now full of sheep. What he meant was that we university students lack the energy to defend our disciplines against the constant funding cuts and threats to abolish posts.
It certainly used to be different. University students were already demonstrating at the Turku Academy in the 17th century. The most famous example in recent history is the so-called Old Enlightenment of 1968. Students from the University of Helsinki occupied the Old Student House to demand changes in the university’s administration and teaching.
There is nothing new here as such. Human sciences in particular, that is, the humanities and social sciences, have been labelled as ideological nonsense before. The discussion of the woke idea is a continuation of this story. The threat is that in these so-called soft sciences, scientists are guided by emotions and opinions rather than evidence-based reasoning.
Could it be a coincidence that these prejudices are associated precisely with female-dominated fields of research? According to the well-worn perception, women are more susceptible to their emotions than men.
University life is not a fight for freedom of speech under the yoke of extremist thinking or woke – completely different worries are spinning in the head: the increasing exhaustion of students.
Could it be that behind the woke concern is not genuine concern about the state of science and education, but the experience that the development of equality has gone too far in society? When you claim that the rights of women and minorities are a threat to science, you can at the same time get support for your conservatism even from those who would otherwise not be concerned about the development of equality.
Also according to the latest Science Barometer, Finns’ trust in science is still strong – despite public threats.
It’s worth continuing that work, even if it sometimes spills in public.
*Jamie Vesterinen*
*The author is studying for a doctorate in the field of ancient studies, whose jobs are threatening to disappear in Finland.*
You can discuss column 11.2. until 23:00.