Anyone who has been through a PhD programme will know how challenging it is to manage the transition from a master’s programme. A PhD requires a new set of skills, and a new level of independence. Master’s programmes include set reading lists, weekly seminars and lectures, coursework deadlines, and marked work. Not so for the PhD; aside, perhaps, from some first-year units which assist with the transition.
Then there is the energy required to complete a doctoral thesis, usually over a four-year period. Maintaining motivation and aiming towards one (very significant) deadline rather than shorter term-based deadlines is not easy. Being unmoored from the structures of a taught programme provides the freedom that makes a PhD such a rewarding experience, but it is also one of its main challenges. The process does not just end with the submission of the thesis, but with its defence in the form of a viva voce followed, in the large majority of cases, by corrections.
All of which is to say that doing a PhD is tough. And that is without considering teaching, which PhD students are increasingly carrying out for universities; publishing, which is now essentially a requirement to secure a research position in academia; attending conferences to share research and make connections with other researchers; and maybe even finding time for a life outside of academic activities.
This is reason enough to celebrate the work that PhD students produce. Of at least equal importance, however, is the fact that they are the next generation of scholars who will continue the tradition of generating important insights into the myriad issues workers face. That being said, no concessions have to be made for the articles in this issue; they are of the same quality we usually receive from more established academics or practitioners. Each author makes a valuable contribution to their respective field and offers fresh insights into the issues they are researching. This ranges from gig work to diamond polishing and call centres to internships and covers South America, India and Europe.
We might continue to worry about the future of work, but we feel this issue shows that we need not worry about the Futures of Work, or in other words the future of scholarship that aims to make sense of, and hopefully address, the issues workers continue to face.
This issue features five articles written by PhD students. First, Angel looks at the scope and impact global institutional responses are having on gig economy workers’ conditions in Spain and Chile. Next, Carlos argues that Colombian call centre workers’ emotions are mediated by their socioeconomic background, creating disparate experiences rooted in social inequalities. Naomi’s article addresses the intersection of class and internships, and asks the question: is removing unpaid internships the answer to levelling the playing field for working-class students, or will this exacerbate existing inequalities? Kavya looks at diamond polishers in India, and the impact a punishing recession is having on their livelihoods, from ‘extended’ unpaid vacations, to pay cuts and underemployment. Finally, Karthika focuses on the accountability of those hiring gig workers via platforms, arguing that the EU’s recent Platform Work Directive could be the basis for addressing existing platform-worker power imbalances.
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