The Society of Architectural Historians has issued a statement reaffirming its support for academic freedom. The committee that drafted the statement was chaired by Joseph L. Clarke, associate professor in the Department of Art History, and its members included Jason Nguyen, assistant professor at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.
The statement affirms “support for freedom of inquiry for both faculty and students, and... opposition to all forms of academic censorship, intimidation, and retaliation.” It criticizes “calls from both outside and inside the academic community to suppress certain points of view and to shield students from content they might find disagreeable.”
Founded in 1940, the Society of Architectural Historians is the foremost scholarly organization for architectural history in North America. University of Toronto faculty members have long played important roles in the Society’s intellectual life.
