Short Abstract:

This panel traces the inter-relationship between the anthropological profession and the rising challenge of precarious work conditions. Organized by WCAA Precarity Task Force in collaboration with PrecAnthro.

Long Abstract:

Keywords: Precarity, Anthropology, Academic Freedom, Work

The discipline of Anthropology has faced numerous challenges in the recent past, with precarity being one of them. The term precarity in this context refers to the short term and contractual nature of work that anthropologists are forced to engage in various forms. Some of these could be in the form of guest lectures, visiting fellowships, short term research projects and contractual positions (Casas-Cortés 2021).What these forms of work have in common is that the workers can be terminated at any point of time by the university or institution in question. The nature of these precarious jobs and work conditions raises several questions about the development of Anthropology as a discipline. There is also an intricate connection between precarity and capitalism as well the rise of right-wing governments worldwide, which also challenges academic freedom. While the matter has received some attention in the Western context (Fotta et al. 2020), there is still no discussion on how precarity (Ferreira, Stoica, 2022) is unfolding in the global South. Thus, through this roundtable, we wish to address the following issues with specific reference to the global South:

1. The specificity of precarity in relation to the discipline of Anthropology

2. Nature and forms of precarity in Anthropology

3. The ways in which precarity can be challenged

4. The role of states, universities, institutions and professional bodies

5. Precarity, Ideology and Academic Freedom