What’s under attack: Activism and institutional conflict within US higher education

Within the United States, the targeted efforts against Critical Race Theory, political machinations against higher education governance, and the use of surveillance on liberatory protests, reveals a complicated nexus regarding educational activism and institutional navigation. Through the Actors, Contexts, Tactics, and Strategies (A.C.T.S.) Framework, we offer an expansive understanding of the who, what, how, when, and where of activism. By applying this framework to three distinct yet interrelated examples on legislative fights against diversity, tenure and governance, and pro-Palestine activism, we illuminate the role of institutional mechanics to reimagine the institutional fatality of ‘this is just how things are’ and an inevitable political tide. In doing so, this manuscript offers a robust analysis of institutionalism, opposition, support, and transformation.