Oral Presentation by Anja Hofmair¹
¹ Universität Innsbruck, Austria
TIME: Thursday, 16 July, 10:30 – 12:00
Location: Room 1
Session: 17
Abstract
This research investigates how the neoliberalisation of the university – and the internalised neoliberal ideologies that accompany it – shape academic working conditions and career paths. Building on research that links market-oriented governance, intensified competition, and performance metrics to growing precarity in academia, the study examines the following research question: How do the neoliberalisation of universities and internalised neoliberal ideologies affect the career paths of academic staff in Austria? Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with academic staff, both women and men, in different positions and employment arrangements in the area of social science at an Austrian university. Topics included their professional experiences, perceptions, and assessments of working conditions and career prospects. The material was analysed using Thematic Analysis. Three overarching themes were identified: (1) Neoliberal management approaches and the governance of the university, including hierarchical structures, precarious employment, informal networks, prestige cultures, along with forms of instrumentality, individualism, and competitiveness; (2) The impact of precarious working conditions on academic work and careers, with consequences for flexibility and performance demands, health and well-being, career uncertainty, limited exit-options, and structural disadvantages; and (3) Coping and action strategies in the system of the neoliberal university, ranging from academic ideals and motivations alongside strategic career planning to adaptation and resignation, as well as forms of resistance. Overall, findings show how neoliberalisation structures academic labour and career trajectories while shaping subjectivities. Beyond institutional measures to reduce precarity and widen equitable pathways, results indicate a need for sector-wide policy and legal reforms aligned with democratic rather than neoliberal principles. Participants’ coping and action strategies emerge as leverage points for change that require alliances within and beyond universities. Accordingly, the study contributes qualitative evidence from Austria and indicates the need for institutional measures that reduce precarity, widen equitable career pathways, and align governance with the conditions required for sustainable, high-quality academic work.