Dr Krista Bonello and Dr Lena W氓nggren鈥檚 co-authored book (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023) was in the UK on 7 June 2024.
Dr Bonello, Research Support Officer (RSO) and 今日黑料 visiting academic, and Dr W氓nggren were invited to speak about their book at the University of Glasgow, by the British Universities Industrial Relations Association (BUIRA) Scotland, and the Glasgow Labour, Employment and Work (GLEW) Network. The authors were joined by discussants, including Niall Ingham from UCU Glasgow鈥檚 Anti-Casualisation Committee, and Cecile Menard from the University of Edinburgh, who responded to their presentation. This was followed by a Q&A.
The book provides an in-depth qualitative report on precariously employed academic staff in the UK, mapping shared experiences and strategies for resistance. Bringing together testimonial data spanning seven years, it offers evidence of how precarious labour conditions have persisted, shifted and intensified. The book is a valuable resource for students and scholars in the fields of education, human resources management, labour studies and sociology, as well as trade unionists and university policymakers.
The book has been described as: 鈥渁 landmark book, dexterously weaving together careful empirical analysis and powerful political critique [鈥 A game-changing contribution which should be compulsory reading for all those working 鈥 or struggling to work 鈥 in contemporary academia" (Maria do Mar Pereira, University of Warwick, UK); "a damning indictment of precarity in academia" (Ana Lopes, Newcastle University, UK); "essential reading for everyone interested in understanding 鈥 and transforming 鈥 unjust working conditions in education鈥 (Maddie Breeze, Queen Margaret University, UK); "a must-read for anyone invested in the future of education" (Maria Brown, University of Malta, Malta). 鈥淏onello鈥檚 and W氓nggren鈥檚 super power is to make you see the invisibilised and hear the silenced" (Cecile Menard, University of Edinburgh, UK).
Dr Krista Bonello is an RSO with the Centre for Labour Studies, where her research focuses on work-related issues, and a Senior Visiting Lecturer with the Department of English at the University of Malta.
