Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Higher Ed/Community College Ed

Major Professor

Jarrett Gupton, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Amber D. Dumford, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Michael Denton, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Mandie Dunn, Ph.D.

Keywords

academic capitalism, contingent labor, higher education faculty, neoliberalism

Abstract

The following autoethnographic study explores the experiences and use of adjunct faculty within the neoliberal higher education landscape. Adjunct faculty comprise most of the contemporary professoriate, accounting for nearly 75 percent of higher education instructors. Precarious labor practices, lack of job security, and limited institutional support often characterize adjunct employment. The use of adjunct labor and the vulnerability of their positions are impacted by structural inequities perpetuated by academic capitalism. By privileging the experiences of adjunct faculty, this study contributes to an ongoing conversation about labor practices and inequities in higher education. This dissertation examines the ways in which adjuncts navigate and make sense of their positions and working conditions by employing Marxist critiques of capitalism and critical pedagogy to reimagine both labor practices and pedagogical approaches in higher education to move towards a more equitable and transformative future.

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