The Russian government has just declared @BardCollege an undesirable organization. Anyone - teacher or student - who has any dealings with Bard is now subject to criminal prosecution in Russia. Frankly, I’m at a loss for words.
https://twitter.com/mbkhmedia/status/1407007487941828616
Bard has been foundational in the development of liberal arts education in Russia - and by liberal, I mean pedagogically, not politically. Its collaborations with St Petersburg State Uni have operated under the aegis of no less a figure than Alexei Kudrin.
In other words, this isn’t a small deal. This is a very, very big deal, and it will cause every western university that has any partnerships with Russia to step back and think.
This is also very clearly a shot across Kudrin’s bow, but frankly, well, I’m having a hard time caring.
To be clear, Bard’s faculty and students in Russia have included prominent human rights activists - though that’s less the case now. Within SPSU, the liberal arts department run together with Bard is still something of a haven for free debate.
More broadly, though, as the Kremlin has put Russians working with Western NGOs and media on notice, universities had been the odd ones out. Until about 20 minutes ago, I had assumed that the gov’t wouldn’t have the gall to start declaring universities “undesirable”. I was wrong.
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