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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Ana Lopes
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
The article examines unwaged posts at UK universities, using recent examples of advertised posts. While unpaid work is common in the UK higher education system, unwaged posts are not. The posts under scrutiny in this article differed from traditional honorary titles as their target was early career academics, unlikely to have a paid position elsewhere, rather than established scholars. The article contextualises the appearance of these posts in a climate of increasing marketisation of Higher Education, entrenching managerialism in Higher Education institutions and casualisation of academic work. We discuss the resistance that ensued to the advertisement of such posts. We argue that the current controversy surrounding unpaid internships in the creative industries created a receptive environment for resisting these unwaged posts in academia. It is in this context that we analyse the campaigns that were fought against the advertisement of the posts, mostly through social media and the University and Colleges Union (UCU). We explore the tactics used and discuss the advantages and limitations of the use of social media, as well as the role of trade unions in the campaigns against these posts and we reflect on what future campaigns can learn from these experiences. We do so by thematically analysing social media, activist communications, blogs and media articles, as well as personal communications with key players in the campaigns. We conclude that the utilisation of social media is useful for sparking interest, creating momentum and allow activists to capitalise on public outrage and respond swiftly. However, social media as a key campaign strategy can be of limited use in the long term.
Author(s): Forkert K, Lopes A
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: tripleC: Communication, Capitalism and Critique
Year: 2015
Volume: 13
Issue: 2
Pages: 533-553
Print publication date: 01/07/2015
Acceptance date: 05/01/2015
Date deposited: 15/02/2018
ISSN (electronic): 1726-670X
Publisher: TripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique
URL: http://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/583/753
