New Books Network Sarah McLaughlin, "Authoritarians in the Academy: How the Internationalization of Higher Education and Borderless Censorship Threaten Free Speech" (Johns Hopkins UP, 2025)
Sep 7, 2025
Sarah McLaughlin, a senior scholar at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, dives into her groundbreaking work on how authoritarian regimes infiltrate American academia. She discusses alarming instances of censorship affecting international students, particularly from China, and the pressures faculty face in their classrooms. McLaughlin reveals the financial motives behind universities compromising free expression, reflecting broader trends in society. Her insights underscore the urgent need to protect academic freedom against rising global authoritarianism.
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Censorship Crosses Borders
- Global censorship travels with people, institutions, and technology across borders.
- Issues that begin in China or elsewhere can show up and shape speech on U.S. campuses.
GW Poster Controversy
- At George Washington University students posted posters criticizing the Beijing Olympics and China's human rights record.
- The university president ordered them removed and investigated the students, then later admitted the decision was wrong.
Students Feel Constant Surveillance
- Chinese students on U.S. campuses report pervasive fear of surveillance from online monitoring, classmates, and consulates.
- Students avoid protests, alter online behavior, and fear long-term consequences like facial recognition exposure.
