Precarity in the Ivory Tower: Exploring the Challenges of Postdoctoral Researchers in German Higher Education

Emnet Tadesse Woldegiorgis

doi:10.25159/1947-9417/19341

Authors

Emnet Tadesse Woldegiorgis University of Johannesburg https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6371-7832

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/1947-9417/19341

Keywords:

Academic precarity, postdoctoral researchers, neoliberal higher education, Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz, labour inequality

Abstract

This article critically investigates the structural and experiential dimensions of precarity among postdoctoral researchers within the German higher education system. Drawing on the conceptual lens of neoliberalism, precaritisation, and intersectionality, the study examines how institutional policies, particularly the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act), have normalised short-term contracts, undermined academic freedom, and restructured knowledge production around market imperatives. Employing a qualitative methodology, the research integrates document analysis with seven in-depth interviews conducted with postdoctoral scholars at the University of Bayreuth and the University of Bonn. The thematic analysis reveals that postdoctoral precarity is experienced through intersecting dimensions of job insecurity, constrained career progression, dependency on external funding, lack of agency, and psychosocial distress. These conditions not only impact individual well-being and career sustainability but also erode the epistemic integrity and ethical foundations of the university. The study argues that academic precarity is not merely a labour issue but a systemic manifestation of neoliberal governance, operating through temporal, spatial, and affective mechanisms. It concludes by calling for a fundamental reimagining of academic labour and institutional responsibility, contending that confronting precarity is essential for safeguarding the future of higher education as a democratic, inclusive, and intellectually autonomous domain.

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