This book provides an account -- in many ways, also a personal account -- of the Fallist shutdowns of UCT in 2015/2016, and their subsequent effects on the institution to date. It consists mainly of a series of topical essays, many written and published in response to then-current events. As such, this book should be of interest to academics everywhere, because the forces driving the illiberal changes at UCT are global in reach. (Just have a look at Quillette.com for a large number of essays on this topic. ) Parents of (potential) university students will also want to read it.
I'm an academic at UCT, and also lived through these events, so in many cases can personally attest to the veracity of David's descriptions. Currently I'm one of those academics who, as he describes, have to some extent withdrawn from the institution. While I remain fully dedicated to teaching and postgraduate supervision, I'm simply no longer willing to contribute to any of the other time-consuming, tedious and unpaid activities that are necessary to keep the university running. And this is simply due to the fact that the UCT executive betrayed both staff and students in its inept handlings of the crises.
While the Fallist movement seems to be over, the threats to academic freedom and free speech that David lists in his book are only on the increase. It is understood now that it is legitimate to shut down speakers, and to protest violently without fear of serious repercussions. Our vice-chancellor, a black woman, was recently castigated for having a public discussion on the science behind LGBTQI+ issues, which supposedly caused a "public outcry", and led the UCT Council to order an investigation. The implication is that no academic -- not even the university's top official -- can a have public discussion about current and contentious issues without running the risk of being investigated by the institution, unless they parrot the officially sanctioned views. (The point is, of course, that since these issues are contentious, such a discussion will by definition upset, anger and inflame some. Nevertheless, you'd think that it is precisely when issues are contentious that discussions are necessary.) But this "investigation" resulted in a report that comes very close to recommending forced speech codes. The members of the current Academic Freedom Committee seem to believe that their job is to get rid of academic freedom, and I can not find a record of them weighing in on the matter.
So I'm not nearly as sanguine about the state of UCT as is Ed Rybicki in his review above. The vice-chancellor is not exempt, the STEM faculties will not be either.
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Top reviews from other countries
UCT graduate and alumnus
Devastating eye opener
Reviewed in Germany on November 28, 2021