Squeezed for Time: Life in ‘Accelerating’ Academia

by Filip Vostal (Centre for Science, Technology and Society Studies, Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences)

Monday 10 Dec 2018, 14:00 → 15:00 Europe/Berlin

XHQ / E1.173 (European XFEL)

There is an apparently pervasive sense in the contemporary scientific world that things are speeding-up incessantly – scientists report chronic busyness, psychological discomfort, anxieties and insufficient time for research-related activities. They are expected to publish more papers, read more texts, meet strict deadlines, ‘fundraise’, engage in science administration, press ahead. Similarly as the Red Queen in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass it seems that scientists simply need to run ever-faster but only to stay where they are. In this talk, I will look closely at this widespread individual experience in the contemporary academy. Particularly I will discuss the emergence and normalization of the hyper-productive scholar and the implications of this ‘new normal’ for academic/scientific work.

more information 20181210_EXS_Filip_Vostal.pdf