Beyond neoliberal policies
Blind spots in the Staffing South Africa's Universities Framework
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2640115 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mlamuli N Hlatshwayo (0000-0001-9180-8803, Centre for Higher Education Studies, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2024-04-30 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1817-4434 • E-ISSN: 2415-2005 |
| Publisher | AOSIS (PUBLISHER • ZA) |
| DOI | 10.4102/td.v20i1.1439 |
| OpenAlex | W4399239418 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 27 |
Attracting the next generation of academics is important for ensuring that the higher education system is sustainable and continues to produce the much-needed graduates who will respond to the growing needs of the knowledge economy. Deeply rooted in the decolonial and transformation struggles in the Global South, academic staffing and recruitment questions are central to representation and diversity in the academy. In this article, I critique what I see as the rising neoliberal logic in South African higher education that frames national thinking and policies on attracting and retaining the next generation of academics in the country. While some policies and legislative frameworks have been proposed in response to this challenge, I particularly focus on the Staffing South Africa’s Universities Framework (SSAUF) which has served as an integrated policy framework that guides the country’s vision on attracting, retaining and supporting the next generation of scholars. I especially reveal three interconnected and intersectional blind spots that are prevalent in the policy, i.e. (1) the misframed and misrecognised conceptual understanding of early career academics and emerging scholars, (2) the lack of systemic and adequate pathways for postdoctoral research fellows to access higher education as permanent staff members and (3) the ideological (and decolonial) missed opportunities in the policy. Transdisciplinary contribution: I provide an interdisciplinary critique of ways in which the higher education policy is socially constructed and enacted in the academe, and the glaring blind spots that have real and material implications for early career scholars in South Africa
Blind spot · Political science · Staffing · Higher Education Governance and Development · Higher Education Learning Practices · Law · Psychology · Public Administration
Redefining ‘early career’ in academia
The neoliberal turn in Higher Education
From apprentice to colleague
Decolonisation of higher education
Academics of colour
The Chihuahua and the Space Princess writing in the margins
He moana pukepuke
Neoliberalism, higher education and the knowledge economy
Back to zero? Precarious employment in academia amongst ‘older’ early career researchers, a life-course approach
Career development or career delay? Postdoctoral fellowships and the de-professionalizing of academic work in South African universities
Decolonizing Knowledge in South Africa
Brief History of Neoliberalism
The Academentia of ECAs
I love my work but I hate my job'-Early career academic perspective on academic times in Australia
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |