Volume 9, No. 1, Art. 38 – January 2008

Academic Work—Faster, Higher, Further? On the (Missing) Proportion of Work to Spare Time in the (Cultural) Sciences

Gert Dressel & Nikola Langreiter (Austria)

Abstract: We make the practices of the academic production of knowledge a subject of critical discussion by focusing on the world of academic work and the academics themselves. Based on interviews with academics in the field of cultural sciences we conclude that with regard to their daily routines, their annual schedules, and their life-courses the so-called private life (family life, leisure time etc.) becomes dominated by the social and cultural logics of the working sphere. Although it might appear exaggerated, we will refer to the humanities as a "total institution" which entails social, physical, and mental costs for its "inmates" as well as for those who never managed to become "inmates" (in spite of their efforts) and those who don’t belong to the institution any more.

Key words: studies of culture, work, profession, vocation, career, recognition, happiness, private life, family, leisure time, biography, interview

This contribution is only available as a full text in the German language. German text

Volume 9, No. 1   Table of Contents

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© 2008 Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research
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Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Center für Digitale Systeme, Freie Universität Berlin