Uncertainty and Worth in Academic Life: Exploring How Early Career Academics Navigate Changing Evaluative Landscapes

During the past few decades, a wave of profound change has struck the field of higher education and research. Central parts of this change are an increased focus on competition and internationalization, growing demands of accountability and productivity, as well as the introduction of new evaluation systems and funding regimes. These dynamics are frequently mentioned as particularly problematic for early career academics in the social sciences and humanities (SSH). However, their own perception of these issues are much less frequently considered. We thus know little about how junior scholars within these disciplinary fields navigate and cope with the complex realities of contemporary research landscape.

Against this background, the aim of the study is to investigate how norms, values, and structures of making a career in academia affect the practices and identities of junior scholars in the SSH. The study will highlight the interplay between how research and academic work are valued and how early career academics learn to live, work, and produce knowledge within contemporary academia.