How social acceleration affects the work practices of academics: A study in Brazil

Abstract

Applying industrial and market-driven logic has brought radical change to universities in the past few decades. Knowledge production and transmission as well as academics’ subjectivity have been substantially altered by neoliberal policies. This article introduces a social acceleration perspective and explores what happens to university teachers’ work practices in the face of increasing demands. The article draws on a study into the effect of social acceleration on a group of 15 professors in Brazil. Consequences include (a) producing ‘guilty subjects’ due to lack of time, (b) burnout from the feeling of ‘running uphill just to stay in place’, (c) an impact on work–life balance and retirement, (d) devaluing experience and expertise and (e) lack of identification with the work and workplace. The academics reported impossible demands on them, or even retiring. Reconciling their work practices with professional expectations generated a conflict of values: they no longer recognized themselves as good teachers, dedicated supervisors or innovative researchers. The article argues that the role of education is compromised by the accelerated university, which is transforming universities and academics into entrepreneurs in search of production.