We are a group of scholars interested in debating the future of academia, including its direction and speed, as well as its linkages with broader society. In this, we are inspired by the call for reflection raised by the Slow Science movement.
Just like the ‘slow food’ movement defends qualitative food against fast food, slow science urges rethinking the current university, against the fast, competitive, benchmarked research that not only restricts the choice of research topics and curricula but also threatens the quality of the knowledge. You can read the Slow Science Manifesto here.
The emergence of the ‘Slow Science’ movement reveals a resistance against the restructuration of the university into a science enterprise, increasingly dependent on industrial and other outsider interests; it reveals a resistance against science that is merely seen as a purveyor of technological innovation and increased competitiveness on a globalized market. ‘Slow Science’ is about thinking a Science prepared for the future, it is about the quality of research.
slow science in belgium 