When the world awoke to the surprising news of the Brexit referendum result one June morning in 2016, everyone knew there would be some uncertainty in the following months. But few expected the ongoing tug of war that has since ensued between Leavers and Remainers, as the two poles of this conundrum are known in the UK. Globally, the effects of that referendum, and the pending implementation of its result, continue to cause much uncertainty. Aspects of day-to-day life in Great Britain, the EU and many other countries around the world have been affected, and academic life is no exception. When the majority of referendum voters chose that their country should leave the EU, no one knew what that really meant. Even though Britain was known to have had an uneasy relationship with the idea of joining a union based in Brussels, that Euroskepticism won the day was an outcome few on the opposing end of it had suspected might be real. Many, in fact, continue to dispute the binding legality of leaving, or at least that it is inevitable, wishing and arguing for alternatives (such as a second referendum) in the hope that their Brexiteer compatriots might have changed their minds. A majority of academics, as it happens, wish to remain in the EU. Three years on, and clarity on the outcome remains distant. What is becoming increasingly palpable on British streets, however, is an overwhelming sense of fatigue with Brexit (“the B-word,” as many call it today). Members of the population interviewed on national media say they just want the government to get on with things; many express hardly any preference as to the direction it should go. The situation is looking increasingly like a messy divorce, gone on for much too long. For academics, the effects are directly touching those who are British or European citizens, but they are also having indirect consequences on academia — and academics — worldwide. There is a host of ways in which Brexit, or so far the pending possibilities associated with it, is impacting professional academic life. As is the case for many EU citizens, academics from the continent are currently able to reside and work freely in the UK, and the same is true for UK citizens in EU countries. Given that the shape of laws governing residency and employment rights after the Brexit deadline (currently standing as Oct. 31) have not been clarified by the British government, a general tendency for EU academics to leave the UK has been observed over the past three years. A protester holds a sign during the People’s Vote anti-Brexit march in London, this year. (Getty Images) When the world awoke to the surprising news of the Brexit referendum result one June morning in 2016, everyone knew there would be some uncertainty in the following months. But few expected the ongoing tug of war that has since ensued between Leavers and Remainers, as the two poles of this conundrum are known in the UK. Globally, the effects of that referendum, and the pending implementation of its result, continue to cause much uncertainty. Aspects of day-to-day life in Great Britain, the EU and many other countries around the world have been affected, and academic life is no exception. When the majority of referendum voters chose that their country should leave the EU, no one knew what that really meant. Even though Britain was known to have had an uneasy relationship with the idea of joining a union based in Brussels, that Euroskepticism won the day was an outcome few on the opposing end of it had suspected might be real. Many, in fact, continue to dispute the binding legality of leaving, or at least that it is inevitable, wishing and arguing for alternatives (such as a second referendum) in the hope that their Brexiteer compatriots might have changed their minds. A majority of academics, as it happens, wish to remain in the EU. Three years on, and clarity on the outcome remains distant. What is becoming increasingly palpable on British streets, however, is an overwhelming sense of fatigue with Brexit (“the B-word,” as many call it today). Members of the population interviewed on national media say they just want the government to get on with things; many express hardly any preference as to the direction it should go. The situation is looking increasingly like a messy divorce, gone on for much too long. For academics, the effects are directly touching those who are British or European citizens, but they are also having indirect consequences on academia — and academics — worldwide. There is a host of ways in which Brexit, or so far the pending possibilities associated with it, is impacting professional academic life. As is the case for many EU citizens, academics from the continent are currently able to reside and work freely in the UK, and the same is true for UK citizens in EU countries. Given that the shape of laws governing residency and employment rights after the Brexit deadline (currently standing as Oct. 31) have not been clarified by the British government, a general tendency for EU academics to leave the UK has been observed over the past three years. Any hindrance to academic advancement would inevitably have a trickle-down effect on all aspects of life. Tala Jarjour The economic and legal aspects might be where academic staff will suffer the most direct, and immediate, negative impact. Some of this impact has, in fact, already compelled many Europeans to leave, according to information released recently by the Russell Group of Universities. Representing 24 world-class research universities in the UK, the Russell Group has issued a call to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government to grant legal assurances regarding residency and employment for EU citizens working or recruited in the UK before 2021. The prestigious university body has warned that not doing so risks losing valuable expertise, with negative consequences for the higher education sector. It stressed that the resulting loss threatens strategically significant fields such as technology, biosciences, chemistry and engineering. What is important to note, regardless of which fields might sustain the highest impact, is the trickle-down effect any hindrance to academic advancement would inevitably have on all aspects of life. Rapid developments in technology, for example, risk being slowed down most noticeably. But other areas would be equally affected. The exchange of teachers, artists and musicians; historians’ ability to visit archives and libraries; short-term academic conferences and meetings; and many other essential academic activities would all be subject to visa regulations and their associated costs and delays. Academics who are currently not members of the EU are, of course, closely familiar with these hurdles. But this is not to say that British and European academics should no longer benefit from the freedoms afforded by EU membership. On the contrary, it is to wish that such hurdles as those many academics from around the world currently deal with in order to have professional connections with Europe and the UK be removed, rather than imposed on more people. Unless the Russell Group’s call for the UK government to ensure the maintenance of regulations that would allow universities on both sides of the Channel to maintain a steady flow of expertise, then — come the day of Britain’s exit from the EU — news outlets could be full of stories about academics who were denied visas to give lectures and conference papers, or artists who were put on return flights at airports. Tala Jarjour is author of “Sense and Sadness: Syriac Chant in Aleppo” (OUP, 2018). She is currently Visiting Research Fellow at King’s College London and Associate Fellow of Pierson College at Yale.