Download – Future humanities workforce submission
We welcome this opportunity to contribute our views to the Australian Academy of Humanities’ Future Humanities Workforce project. Our submission engages with questions six to fourteen in the consultation paper, examining the unique context of junior researchers (PhD scholars and ECRs) in the humanities. We first discuss the issue of insecure employment in universities, arguing that this is a major impediment to humanities researchers’ careers. We then illuminate some inequities in the federal grant allocation process which systematically impact upon the careers of junior researchers. Next, we discuss the problem of inflation of required experience to attain academic employment; an issue which is intertwined with the previous two sections. Finally, we highlight the unpaid and underpaid contributions of doctoral students and how this impacts upon the research ecosystem.
We welcome this opportunity to contribute our views to the Australian Academy of Humanities’ Future Humanities Workforce project. Our submission engages with questions six to fourteen in the consultation paper, examining the unique context of junior researchers (PhD scholars and ECRs) in the humanities. We first discuss the issue of insecure employment in universities, arguing that this is a major impediment to humanities researchers’ careers. We then illuminate some inequities in the federal grant allocation process which systematically impact upon the careers of junior researchers. Next, we discuss the problem of inflation of required experience to attain academic employment; an issue which is intertwined with the previous two sections. Finally, we highlight the unpaid and underpaid contributions of doctoral students and how this impacts upon the research ecosystem.
