Uppsala Student Union debating cancelkultur

Today, Uppsala Student Union President Anton Sánchez Sulejmani published an article in Altinget. The article challenges Minister of Education Mats Persson to define what he really means by cancelkultur and calls on him to rethink his planned education on cancelkultur. Of course, we appreciate Persson's commitment to a university with high ceilings and free and respectful exchanges of opinion. What we do not appreciate is Persson's approach of portraying identity politics as the obstacle to such discussions. The full debate article can be read here: "Who is really being cancelled, Mats Persson?".

We also summarise the background and elaborate on some of the points we make in the opinion piece in the following twitter thread:

At the end of the autumn, @DO_Sweden published a report on active measures against discrimination at Swedish higher education institutions. 18 colleges and universities were included in the study, including @uppsalauni. https://t.co/FIgxApckSM

- Uppsala Student Union (@UStudentkar) December 15, 2022

In the study, the DO looked at whether active measures against discrimination were implemented in accordance with the four steps prescribed by the Discrimination Act. These measures are: 1) Examining risks. 2) Analysing causes. 3) Implementing measures; 4) Monitoring and evaluating.

- Uppsala Student Union (@UStudentkar) December 15, 2022

The disappointing result is that only one of the institutions in the report carried out the first step (investigating risks); none carried out all four. This means that none of the 18 HEIs studied complied with the Discrimination Act.

- Uppsala Student Union (@UStudentkar) December 15, 2022

At the same time, we know that there are faculties and departments at @uppsalauni that are actually working to implement these measures in full. But what the DO looked at in its report is whether the university is consistently and thoroughly complying with the law, not whether parts of them are.

- Uppsala Student Union (@UStudentkar) December 15, 2022

When we debated Minister of Education @matsperspektiv|s planned investigation in @altingetseutb today, there was no space to highlight positive examples of work against discrimination at Swedish higher education institutions. But when we talk about supporting universities, this is the kind of work we have in mind.

- Uppsala Student Union (@UStudentkar) December 15, 2022

Looking at the DO's report and taking hold of how good work can be facilitated and disseminated would be an excellent way to support academic freedom. Here, a government inquiry could provide much-needed knowledge and support to universities - something they themselves call for in the report.

- Uppsala Student Union (@UStudentkar) December 15, 2022

Unlike hanging an investigation on vaguely defined ideas of 'cancel culture' and 'identity politics', active work against discrimination would raise the roof, broaden the space and open the door to more perspectives and greater academic freedom.

- Uppsala Student Union (@UStudentkar) December 15, 2022

As we discuss in our opinion piece, discrimination cannot be decoupled from the cases described as expressions of cancel culture. Freedom of expression is self-evident, but that does not mean that speech is neutral in the conflicts that arise around issues of racism, sexism or funkophobia.

- Uppsala Student Union (@UStudentkar) December 15, 2022

We regularly see racism, sexism and funkophobia (among others) at Swedish universities in our work with students. We can also see it in news such as @univlararen|s review of who sits on management teams at Swedish universities: https://t.co/nQXRyE8YPv

- Uppsala Student Union (@UStudentkar) December 15, 2022

There is much to say about the debate on cancelkultur and we suspect that many higher education policy makers will have reason to return to that topic. Our hope is that it will be a more nuanced discussion than we have seen so far.

- Uppsala Student Union (@UStudentkar) December 15, 2022

It is with a view to creating a better discussion that we write our opinion piece. Moving beyond alarmism about identity politics is a step in the right direction. Also looking at freedom of speech in relation to those who are not heard in the media when they are 'silenced'. https://t.co/tfnFnDIQPl

- Uppsala Student Union (@UStudentkar) December 15, 2022

Help us get the attention of the Minister of Education so that we can get an answer to our questions and a response to our demand for better education by spreading our opinion piece and retweeting our tweets!