Following the first inaugural conference of OSUN Global Observatory on Academic Freedom in January 2022, it has been, yet again, confirmed that academic freedom is unreliably granted, unevenly distributed, and infringed upon across the world in both democratic and non-democratic societies. This special issue aims to build on this important work to understand the ways that conceptualizations of academic freedom vary in different socio-political contexts, how it is codified, and how it is practiced. Thus, we seek to reimagine academic freedom conceptually through the analysis of issues and malpractices that scholars around the world face.