Conservatives are increasingly attacking universities, accusing them of liberal bias and ‘wokeness’. These actions, framed as protecting traditional values, involve defunding departments, restricting curricula on topics like gender and race, and legislating against ‘divisive concepts’. While often portrayed as a battle against indoctrination, such campaigns use academia as a proxy in a broader culture war, aiming to suppress challenges to established power hierarchies and to control narratives of cultural identity.