Academic Capitalism and (Secondary) Academic Labor Markets: Negotiating a New Academy and Research Agenda

Abstract

The chapter examines how academic labor markets in the U.S. are socially structured. These markets express and enhance social stratification, and are reproduced and renegotiated through ongoing social action. First, we review the classic literature on the subject. Then we consider the presence of secondary labor markets in STEM fields, contextualizing our consideration of academic labor markets in developments in the larger labor force. Subsequently, we focus on academic labor markets in terms of “academic capitalism” and the restructuring of academic institutions, “managed professionals” and the restructuring of academic labor, and the efforts of “organizing professionals” to negotiate a new academy. Analytically, we focus on rising secondary labor markets. We also attend to their social demography, noting international and local dimensions that take us beyond and below the national labor markets that are the literature’s overriding focus. Finally, we map a new research agenda, for newly structured academic labor markets.