The authors of The Anthropological Career in Europe(Fotta, Ivancheva and Pernes 2020) have made
visible the inequality and hierarchy that has become increasingly normalized in
higher education in Europe. The impact of the report lies far beyond
anthropology, and my reflections here build on the report’s key findings and
consider the impact of precaritization on the university and academia as a
whole.
Podemos is hailed by many as the only hope in a Spanish landscape devastated by austerity. In the elections to the European parliament (2014), Podemos received 7.97 percent of votes and 5 MPs. In the elections to the Autonomous Parliament of Andalucía, it gathered 14.84 percent of the vote and 15 regional MPs, becoming the third party after the Socialist Party (PSOE) and the Popular Party (PP). The fragmentation of political parties in the regional parliament forewarns of what will be the possible result of the next Spanish general elections at the end of 2015. It underscores the end of bipartisan politics and the need for different alliances and hopefully new priorities. Does Podemos signal a radical political change? A new way of doing politics? Here come the thoughts of an anthropologist who is not yet convinced by their rhetoric or their practice. Continue reading →
