Academic Freedom in Hong Kong (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Academic Freedom in Hong Kong Douglas Burleson (bio) and William G. Tierney (bio) Jan Currie, Carole J. Petersen, and Ka Ho Mok. Academic Freedom in Hong Kong. Landham, MD: Lexington Books, 2006. Cloth: $70.00. 192 pp. ISBN: 0-7391-1081-0. Academic freedom is a hallmark of the professoriate in the United States. Professors work diligently to earn tenure, which is a "means to certain ends, specifically: (1) freedom of teaching and research and of extramural activities, and (2) a sufficient degree of economic security to make the profession attractive to men and women of ability" (AAUP, 1940). Academic freedom is so vital that Rochford (2003) claims it is a benefit not only to an individual or an institution, but to society as a whole. American professors have the right to research, think about, and speak to any topic or idea, within reason. They may openly criticize their own campus administration and any local, state, or federal government without fear of retribution. Such a level of freedom is nearly unparalleled globally. In Academic Freedom in Hong Kong, Jan Currie, Carole Petersen, and Ka Ho Mok offer insight into the life of Hong Kong academics: a life that is vastly different from that of the typical tenured professor in the United States. The book is 192 pages and is divided into six chapters and a conclusion. The text is based on a document analysis of two incidents in which academic freedom was an issue, as well as 40 interviews and 56 surveys with Hong Kong academics and administrators. The authors begin with an extensive review of academic freedom. The chapter addresses academic freedom from a historical perspective in both Western and non-Western universities. The discussion of Western universities is well developed, but the four very brief sections on non-Western universities were cursory and added little to the overall message of the book. The chapter concludes with an excellent section focused on current threats to academic freedom, including war and terrorism, commercialization, and accountability. Chapter 2 lays the theoretical groundwork for the subsequent analysis of academic freedom in Hong Kong. Currie, Petersen, and Mok provide a concise and easy-to-follow overview of the events contributing to the crises of legitimation suffered by the Hong Kong government from 1997 to 2005. The authors use David Beetham's model of legitimacy and Ian Scott's recent work on the decline of legitimacy in post hand-over Hong Kong to inform their argument. The selection of Beetham's model seems particularly appropriate and is well employed as it specifically addresses the circumstances under which a person or entity, in this case the Hong Kong government, can lose favor with its constituents. The incidents described by the authors are easily categorized into Beetham's model. However, the inclusion of Scott's work is less obvious. Scott is mentioned only once more in the remainder of the chapter and never again in the book. If Scott was in fact one of two major theorists on whose work the authors base their argument, the reader might expect more of a focus on Scott. Chapters 3 and 4 are the meat of the book and focus on two specific cases of threats to academic freedom in Hong Kong. The discussion of the Robert Chung affair in Chapter 3 is particularly engaging; it reads almost like a movie script. Rife with intrigue, coercion, and governmental conspiracy, the story tells of a professor being pressured into discontinuing his public opinion polling research for fear that the poll results are negatively impacting public perceptions of the government. The ensuing hearings and public outcry, both in favor of and against Dr. Chung, are comparable to the outrage expressed in the United States during the infamous Ward Churchill incident. The authors provide a richly detailed and balanced account of Dr. Chung's travails, making it clear how precarious academic life in Hong Kong can be. The second incident, addressed in Chapter 4, is less compelling but no less important to understanding how academic freedom is valued in Hong Kong. The government attempted to push through legislation (Article 23 of the Basic Law), which sought to ban acts of...