From the Authoritarian Playbook: Academic Freedom and the Politics of Self-Censorship in Florida

Between 2021 and 2023, the State of Florida enacted numerous bills and took administrative actions interfering with university autonomy and academic freedom amid a combative political discourse vilifying universities as too “woke.” Defenders of these interventions have argued that academic teaching and research content have not been censored. However, research on self-censorship under authoritarianism suggests that the effects of forceful state intervention may be more complex and long-lasting than they appear. This article addresses this issue by expanding theories on “chilling effects” in democracies, conceptualizing them as a potential instrument of soft repression that illiberal political actors may use to suppress content while circumventing judicial scrutiny. Based on 60 qualitative interviews conducted in early 2024 at six higher education institutions in Florida, the study shows how pervasive uncertainty and informal intimidation led scholars to self-censor in their teaching and research in ways not prescribed by law. Although these behaviors vary across individuals and are partly mediated by institutional responses, they are not isolated cases and are likely to have a significant impact on Florida higher education.