Australian academics refuse to attend US conferences
April 14, 2025 4:18 PM Subscribe
Australian academics refuse to attend US conferences for fear of being detained.
"When academics fear travelling or partnering with US institutions, the impacts ripple through the entire global knowledge ecosystem," one says.
The number of people travelling from Europe to the US in recent weeks has plummeted by as much as 35%
Canadians travelling to U.S. hits lowest rate since COVID
posted by gwint at 4:31 PM on April 14 [3 favorites]
Canadians travelling to U.S. hits lowest rate since COVID
posted by gwint at 4:31 PM on April 14 [3 favorites]
Trump has also demanded that any US funded research in Australian universities that deals with DEI issues must cease. This is going to dramatically affect medical joint research programs dealing with disability and women's health.
If you had just one wish... ...?
posted by Thella at 4:58 PM on April 14
If you had just one wish... ...?
posted by Thella at 4:58 PM on April 14
This is very much a thing for Europe too. I know of contacts in the EU who are either not traveling to meetings in the US, or are bringing empty laptops to avoid surveillance/screening on entry.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 5:01 PM on April 14
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 5:01 PM on April 14
I'm Australian. I'm getting an award - kind of a lifetime achievement thing - from the peak body of my profession in a few weeks. I was invited to the global conference, in the US, to receive the award. It's a huge deal for me professionally.
I'm not going.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 5:06 PM on April 14 [12 favorites]
I'm not going.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 5:06 PM on April 14 [12 favorites]
I was invited to a conference, and separately invited to give a keynote, both in the States - I cancelled the first and declined the second. It's not much but as a Canadian I think your reasons to travel to the States have to be pretty compelling indeed. It's not just the risk, it's the complicity of consuming anything American at the moment.
posted by Rumple at 5:26 PM on April 14 [1 favorite]
posted by Rumple at 5:26 PM on April 14 [1 favorite]
Trump will, by the end of his first year, have plunged the Us into a depression and destroyed any lead we have in economy, scholarship, diplomacy, technology, and… anything, really. It’s going to be fucking awful, but I feel like the rest of the world needs to look out for itself.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:28 PM on April 14 [1 favorite]
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:28 PM on April 14 [1 favorite]
I’ve always been the Cassandra of my small friend group. Even I'm astounded by quickly this is becoming an over-the-top/nightmare scenario. I'm a 60+ year old Canadian and can't imagine a realistic scenario where I'd visit the states again, ever.
Pissed that a number of my fellow Canadians seem to be again lapping up Russian social media propaganda and US owned news sane-washing. A bunch are drifting back towards the convoy loving, anti-vax, racist, Trump-licking, Conservative Party.
posted by brachiopod at 5:29 PM on April 14
Pissed that a number of my fellow Canadians seem to be again lapping up Russian social media propaganda and US owned news sane-washing. A bunch are drifting back towards the convoy loving, anti-vax, racist, Trump-licking, Conservative Party.
posted by brachiopod at 5:29 PM on April 14
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posted by Lemkin at 4:23 PM on April 14