States of Precarity

Precarious working arrangements for academic staff are currently commonplace across the UK higher education sector, including the discipline of Geography.  These arrangements may involve, but are not necessarily limited to: short-term contracts; fixed-term contracts; part-time contracts; the requirement to move and be mobile; and long probation periods. For context, HESA (Higher Education Staff Statistics) states that among academic staff in the UK, 77,475 individuals (33% of academic staff) were employed on fixed-term contracts in 2021/22.

Our knowledge of the experiences and effects of precarious working arrangements on individuals (both short and long-term) and their impacts on academic work cultures is currently limited. Addressing this gap in knowledge is vital if we are to better understand the effects of precarious working on the discipline, and if we are to work towards better working conditions for those experiencing precarity in academia. 

Aims

The project seeks to:

• Better understand the immediate and long-term effects of precarity on UK Geography staff (postgraduate to professor, alongside those who have left academia).
• Provide a snapshot of the far-reaching implications of precarity on the discipline.
• Inform the development of best practice guidelines for UK Geography Departments.