Amna Khalid

Amna Khalid is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. She specializes in modern South Asian history, the history of medicine and the global history of free expression. ​

Growing up under a series of military dictatorships, Amna has a strong interest in issues relating to censorship and free expression. Khalid was a Fellow at the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement during the 2022-2023 academic-year, along with her Carleton colleague Jeff Snyder​. They focused on threats to academic freedom in Florida, the state at the epicenter of the conservative movement to encourage state intervention in public school classrooms. Based on interviews Khalid and Snyder conducted with Florida faculty members, they submitted an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs who are challenging the Stop WOKE Act.

Snyder and Khalid have given many public talks together on the topics of free expression, campus politics and the relationship between intellectual freedom and social justice. Campus visits where they can engage with students, faculty and administrators are of particular interest to them. They write regularly on threats to campus free expression from inside and outside academe--and from across the political spectrum.

Khalid is the author of multiple book chapters on the history of public health in nineteenth-century India, with an emphasis on the connections between Hindu pilgrimages and the spread of epidemics. Her essays and commentaries on free expression, academic freedom and censorship have appeared in outlets such as the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Conversation, Inside Higher Ed and the New Republic. She also hosts a podcast and accompanying blog called "Banished," which explores censorship in the past and present. Link: https://banished.substack.com/

Engagement as an HxA Member:
Presented at HxA Virtual Event, Summit, or Conference
Published on HxA: The Blog
Guest on HxA Podcast
HxA Writers Group Member or Veteran
Active Member of an HxCommunity
Active Member of an HxA Campus Community
Faculty Fellow at HxA Center for Academic Pluralism
Speaker's Title and Institutional/Organizational Affiliation: Associate Professor, Carleton College
Event Type :
Lecture/Presentation
Fireside Chat
Book Talk
Constitution Day Event
Classroom Visit
Workshop
Podcast
Debate, Forum, or HxConversation
Speaking Topics - List up to 5 specific topics or titles, each separated by a semicolon: academic freedom; campus free expression; viewpoint diversity; anti-CRT legislation; DEI
Blackout Dates (Dates speaker is unavailable, Days/Month/Year): variable
Distance Willing to Travel: Any/No Limits to Travel Radius
Scholarly Area: Arts and Humanities
Modality of Event : In Person and/or Virtual
Willingness to be recorded: Willing
Speaking Fee (Not including travel/lodging expenses): $0-$5,000 USD
Recent Appearance (1 of 5) -title, host institution, year: “Politics in the Classroom: Who Decides?” invited panelist, Chronicle of Higher Education, September 2023.
Recent Appearance (2 of 5) -title, host institution, year: “Point-Counterpoint: When Academic Freedom and Inclusion Are in Tension,” invited panelist, Chronicle Festival: The College of the Future, August 2023.
Recent Appearance (3 of 5) -title, host institution, year: “The Promise of Diversity and the Problem with DEI, Inc.: Why a Corporate Approach to Campus DEI Issues is So Misguided” (with Jeff Snyder), opening plenary, Society for Business Ethics Annual Conference, Boston, August 2023.
Recent Appearance (4 of 5) -title, host institution, year: “Identity Politics, Cancel Culture and Free Speech,” invited panelist, Free Speech and the Left Conference, Plebity Foundation, June 2023.
Recent Appearance (5 of 5) -title, host institution, year: “Dark Times for Academic Freedom in the Sunshine State: Ron DeSantis's War against 'Woke Indoctrination' in Higher Ed” (with Jeff Snyder), invited talk, Berkeley University, March 2023.
Link to Speaker's Professional Website (to include sample writings and more extensive bio): https://www.amnakhalid.com/