Peripheral Contingencies: Experiences of International Scholars in Latvia

Abstract

This article examines the notion of the academic life course from the perspective of international scholars in Latvia—a research system characterised by “projectarisation,” yet also by aspirations of increased international competitiveness. In conversation with literature on academic precarity andmobility justice, I investigate the contingencies and non‐linearities embedded in the transnational movements of research workers. In the academic life course, mobility across borders is supposed to lead to a permanent job in the future, yet often turns into an indefinite process of moving from one country and institution to the next. Based on semi‐structured interviews with 29 international scholars in Latvia, as well as other qualitative data, I examine how this contradiction is experienced in more peripheral contexts of academic knowledge production. I suggest that international scholars in Latvia experience heightened job insecurity while simultaneously making use of professional and personal opportunities.

Life Course Justice and Learning

“…When it comes to adult life courses, Schroot (2022) emphasises the role of re-invention and skills acquisition in adulthood, while Haasler and Hokema (2022) demonstrate how female solo self-employment is functional as an individual strategy for action, allowing doing justice to their mid-life courses and needs to pursue both professional work and opportunities to choose when and how to work. Puzo (2022) deploys the concept of mobility justice and investigates the contingencies and non-linearities embedded in the transnational movements of contemporary precarious academic workers. Hepburn (2022) reveals that later life learning among Latin Americans in Canada should pay more nuanced attention to learning in and about a place, while Nguyen et al (2022) contribute to a better understanding of digital citizenship and its role in supporting migrant grandparents' adaptation to connected and mobile lives.…”