Workshop programme

Limerick Workshop (24-27 November 2015)

‘The Crisis and Academia (or) The Crisis in Academia’

Organised by Lee Monaghan and Micheal O’Flynn

(Co-organised by Irish Research Council (IRC) funded project ‘Equality of Opportunity in Practice: Studies in Working, Learning and Caring'

Day 1 – 24 November -- Health Sciences Building, HSG021

9.45 Welcome

10.00-1.00: Session 1: 'Interpreting the Crisis' - Chair: Suman Gupta

Terrence McDonough: Orthodox Economics and the Crisis.

Julien Mercille: What Role for the Social Sciences in Public Debates?

Break: 11.30

Tao Papaioannou: The changing media politics of dissent: Representations of anti-austerity protests in national and international public service media.

Mike HajiMichael: Power of Words

Workshop Questions:

• (a) How can/should academics theorize/conceptualise/research the crisis?
• (b) Where has academia succeeded in shedding light on the crisis? Where has it failed?
• (c) What is the proper role of academics in a time of crisis? Public intellectual? Defender of the status quo?
• (d) Does academia have a responsibility to act as a watchdog on power?

Lunch break 1.00 -2.00

2.00 - 5.00: Session 2: 'Corporate control of higher-education' - Chair: TBA

Claire O'Hagan & Pat O'Connor: Academic career practices: embedding gendered academic capitalism cross nationally.

Carmel Hannan: Playing the Academic Game and the role of Public Sociology.

Break: 3.30

Mariya Ivancheva & Kathryn Keating: Precarious Employment in Higher Education.

Kathleen Lynch: On the Market: the egalitarian implications of commercialisation in higher education.

Workshop Questions:

• (a) Can a case be made for corporate funding of higher education in a time of crisis?
• (b) Is the commercialisation of higher education compatible with its perceived public function?
• (c) Who (dis)benefits, domestically or internationally from the commercialisation of higher education?
• (d) What are the consequences for scholarship? What are the consequences for students?
• (e) Are there implications for gender equity?

7.00 Meal in Copper & Spice, plus music in Herbert’s (pub)

Day 2 – 25 November – UL  (Room CG054)

10:00-1:00: Session 3: 'Academia Under Austerity' - Chair Mariya Ivancheva

Dobrinka Parusheva: 'Crisis 2.0: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in times of austerity'

Mike Hajimichael: 'Graduate unemployment in post-haircut Cyprus - where have all the students gone?'

Break: 11.30

Eleni Andriakaina: 'Planning Modernization, Designing An Ideal Kingdom in the East, Building a Utopia. Some thoughts on the relationship between Social Sciences and Social Engineering.

Theodoros A. Spyros: 'Intellectuals, class elitism and post-democratic governance: the euro-reformistic narrative in Crisis-ridden Greece'

Workshop Questions:

• (a) Are academics agents of neoliberalism?
• (b) What working relationships exist between academics and other agents/institutions, such as the media, government?
• (c) What are the implications for academics that wish to promote, challenge or debate austerity?
• (d) How does this manifest in different national contexts?

Lunch break 1.00 - 2.00

2.30 – 3.30 Day trip to regeneration area in Limerick city (tour guide Cathal McCarthy).

4.00 – 6.00 Visit to Limerick Mechanics Institute.

Session 4: 'Scholarship and Activism'

• Mary O'Donnell: The mechanics institute and the women's movement in Limerick
• Micheal O'Flynn & Aggelos Panayiotopolous: Activism in Education (or) Education in Activism
• John Bissett: Housing Action Now and the development of a broad based housing campaign.

Workshop Questions:

• (a) Is it possible to advance egalitarian theory and practice within institutions that are anti-egalitarian?
• (b) Can radical academics presume to speak for the working class? Can the working class find a voice within academia?
• (c) Is it possible for self-auditing academics to develop emancipatory forms of research?
• (d) Is it possible/necessary to develop radical education, scholarship and research-based activism outside of/apart from professional academia?

7.00 Dinner Cornstore (bus 10.45 @ Brown Thomas on O’Connell Street)

Day 3 – 26 November – UL (Room P1005)

10.00 – 12.00: Session 5: (In)equality within and without academia

Suman Gupta: Rationalising Teaching.

Karim Murji: Race Critical Public Scholarship.

Helen Yanacopulos: Academics Stand Against Poverty.

Workshop Questions:

• (a) Is it possible to advance egalitarian theory and practice within institutions that are anti-egalitarian?
• (b) Can radical academics presume to speak for oppressed groups?
• (c) Is it possible for self-auditing academics to develop emancipatory forms of research?

Lunch break: 12.00 – 1.00

1.00 – 3.00: Session 6: Roundtable: Solutions? What now?

• Notes from day 1 (moderator TBA)
• Notes from day 2 (moderator TBA)
• Notes from day 3 (moderator TBA)

Workshop Questions: (a) What have been the main issues/problems raised over the last three days? (b) Are these issues/problems resolvable? (c) What are the obstacles? Are there worthwhile strategies?

5.00 (Bus from Kilmurray) Bunratty Castle & Banquet

Day 4 - 27 November – UL (CG054)

10.00 – 1.00 Organising meeting for Bulgarian and Greek workshops (with break: 11.30)

Lunch – 1.00 – 2.00