When Hephaestus Fell to Earth: Harry Braverman and the New Division of Academic Labor

Braverman’s analysis of the changing division of labor is crucial for understanding the impact of the neoliberal assault on higher education on academic labor. Much like Taylorism a century ago, adjunctification of the faculty, online education, and data driven planning are rationalizing academic la...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Labor studies journal 2015-09, Vol.40 (3), p.243-261
Main Author: Ovetz, Robert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic departments
Academic freedom
Assaults
Braverman, Harry
CAI
College faculty
Commercialization
Computer assisted instruction
Division of labor
Empowerment
Higher education
Internet
Labor market
Labour market
Management
Neoliberalism
Online instruction
Outsourcing
Planning
Reorganization
School faculty
Studies
Taylorism
Teaching
Testimony
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Summary:Braverman’s analysis of the changing division of labor is crucial for understanding the impact of the neoliberal assault on higher education on academic labor. Much like Taylorism a century ago, adjunctification of the faculty, online education, and data driven planning are rationalizing academic labor. Teaching is being “unbundled” and its components parts automated, outsourced, and transferred to a growing middle level administration. As a result, faculty are becoming “just-in-time,” deskilled, disempowered, contingent labor. This newly emerging new division of labor is fundamentally transforming higher education. No longer merely subject to commercialization, academic labor is being reorganized to resemble the interchangeable contingent work that is ubiquitous throughout the labor market. To resist these developments it is necessary for faculty to study the new division of academic labor in order to devise new organizing tactics and strategies, such as the systemwide local and Metro organizing models.
ISSN:0160-449X
1538-9758
DOI:10.1177/0160449X15615058