Kuala Lampur, May 16 -- In the world of higher education, few words are as universally revered yet as politically fraught as "autonomy".

University autonomy is often held up as a sacred pillar of academic freedom, necessary for the pursuit of knowledge, truth, and critical inquiry.

Yet, scratch beneath the surface, and the picture becomes far more complicated. Autonomy is not a monolithic or uncontested ideal; rather, it is a site of negotiation, conflict, and paradox.

The rhetoric of autonomy can empower universities to resist state overreach, but it can also serve as a shield for internal hierarchies, exclusion, and neoliberal governance.

The more uncomfortable but necessary question is no longer just autonomy from whom? but also au...