(Un)silencing academia: intersectional online violence and academic freedom

The contribution investigates the growing phenomenon of online violence against academics. Situating the issue within broader socio-political transformations affecting knowledge production, of which attacks against “gender studies” have been forerunners, the contribution conceptualizes “online violence” as digitally mediated attacks targeting scholars in their professional capacity, with the aim of undermining expertise and delegitimizing research. It examines the diverse forms this violence takes—from doxing and trolling to coordinated harassment campaigns—and its uneven distribution across gender, career stage, and marginalized identities, which calls for an intersectional approach. Beyond individual harm, these attacks generate systemic consequences, including stress, disengagement, and self-censorship, thereby narrowing the scope of academic inquiry and reshaping the meaning of “public trust in science”. The contribution argues that online violence is not an isolated or marginal phenomenon but a structural expression of contemporary epistemic conflicts in the digital age. It discussed the role of digital platforms, highlighting how they amplify contestations of truth and authority, embedding academic debates within a broader politics of knowledge marked by polarization, distrust, and competing regimes of legitimacy. The contribution positions online violence as both a symptom and driver of the politicization of expertise and the renewed political role of “truth”. Finally, the contribution advances the concept of “unsilencing” as a feminist collective and ongoing practice of resisting intimidation, defending academic freedom, and fostering solidarities that enable plural and critical forms of knowledge to thrive. In doing so, it issues a dual call for institutional accountability and scholarly solidarity to safeguard the conditions of research in increasingly hostile environments.