Comparative Literature / Cultural Studies and Media Studies

In Person Only: The session will be held fully in person at the hotel. No remote presentations will be included.

Daniel Charlton (Montana State University, Billings)

From book bans to executive orders, the question of academic freedom and the freedom to read has become increasingly urgent. In the wake of the 2024 election, debates around “parental rights” and ideological control have intensified, fueling challenges to literacy and intellectual freedom. According to preliminary data from the American Library Association, 1,128 unique titles were challenged between January 1 and August 31, 2024 (“American Library Association reveals preliminary data on 2024 book challenges,” September 23, 2024).

This roundtable explores the political dimensions of reading, asking how contemporary censorship—through policy, rhetoric, or legal action—shapes access to knowledge and the development of critical literacy. Framing reading as a political act, we invite presentations that examine this tension, whether through specific case studies of banned or challenged texts or broader analysis of legislative efforts aimed at regulating curricula and access to ideas.

Ultimately, the roundtable aims to engage with the dangers posed by this climate—not only to education and literacy but to democratic participation itself. We seek to interrogate the cultural stakes of “daring to read” and to consider how academic freedom and the right to literacy must be defended in the current political moment.

This roundtable considers the ideas centered around reading as an inherently political act. While this may be understood, the current political regime and legislative teeth that have been bared brings into questions protections surrounding academic freedom.