Neoliberal performativity in higher education: ethical dilemmas encountered when reporting on the lived experience of women living in drought-affected regions

ABSTRACT

As researchers working within a neoliberalist academic regime propagated by discourses of responsibilisation, risk and prudentialism, we experienced a dilemma about whether to publicly present views expressed by research participants that critiqued the policy position of the government department that funded the research. Our dilemma was exacerbated because research funding is relatively difficult to attain for women academics. However, in recognising that rural women’s voices are often marginalised in rural policy formation, and to maintain our ethical responsibility to these participants, in this article we share these potentially contentious research findings and in doing so problematise neoliberal strictures that can erode individual researcher autonomy and that of universities as independent agents.

KEYWORDS:

• Neoliberalism
• prudentialism
• drought-affected community

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by AGL Energy under Grant: 0980025714.

Notes on contributors

Gail Crimmins

Dr Gail Crimmins is a senior lecturer in Communication at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. Her research interests include the lived experience of women whose voices are often unheard (including women casual academics, mothers with rheumatoid arthritis, survivors of domestic and family violence, and women living in drought-affected communities). Email: [email protected]

Sarah Casey

Dr Sarah Casey lectures in Communication at University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. She leads the (https://www.facebook.com/storiesofcountrywomen/) Real Stories of Country Women projects which document the lived experiences of women in drought-affected communities. Sarah's forthcoming book #Heroines: Celebrity Activism, Digital Campaigns and Australian Media Feminists explores contemporary Australian feminisms She is the Vice-President of the Australian Women's and Gender Studies Association. Twitter: @sarahjcasey; @feministingoz. Email: [email protected].

Joanna McIntyre

Dr Joanna McIntyre is a lecturer in Media Studies at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. Her research interests include gender, media and Australian culture, particularly in relation to marginalised communities and their representation. Email: [email protected].