Introduction Academic life in the measured university: pleasures, paradoxes and politics

Plurality of Voices in Reflecting Upon the Research Process: Trajectories of Collaboration in an Argentinian Setting

“…First, it captures the recursiveness, complexity, temporality, non-linearity, and personal investment involved in becoming a he researcher, which comprised critical reflection paths and personal stories and experiences over an eight-year process. Thus, the study aligns with the critique of the discourse of "newer researcher" as a linear developmental trajectory put forth by Hancock et al (2016) in the debate regarding the affordances, complexities, and challenges of the measured university of these times (also Macfarlane, 2017;Peseta et al, 2017;Sutton, 2017). While our university does not escape global trends in performativity and accountability, this study subverts these trends and accommodates the non-linear, the personal as well as individual experience.…”

“…we were motivated by the desire to approach research, with that initial curiosity which is the mother of research work. (Reflection log, Anahí, 2014) In other words, it is possible to observe here a genuine and disinterested desire for research, away from the performative, instrumental, and individual drives characteristic of the measured university (Macfarlane, 2017;Peseta et al, 2017;Sutton, 2017). This engagement with research was sparked by the invitation to join as informants in 2009-2010.…”

“…Theoretically, we depart from Macfarlane's (2017) discussion of the current neoliberal university that cares about measurement, performativity, market drives, and individuality, and that places conflicting demands on collaborative work amongst researchers, oriented toward individual goals on the one hand and collective goals on the other. Peseta et al (2017) describe the challenges involved in this way:…”

“…This classification is useful in the current debate regarding the affordances, complexities, and challenges of the measured university (Hancock et al, 2016;Macfarlane, 2017;Peseta et al, 2017;Sutton, 2017) since collaboration as intellectual generosity, as mentoring, and as communication seem naïve in the surge for performativity (Macfarlane, 2017).…”