‘I go in... I teach and I go home. I may as well be any other person. It would not make any difference’: experiences from the periphery of the academy

Abstract Most academic staff in Australia are employed casually and on teaching-focused contracts, with little opportunity for research or advancement. This paper presents findings from a project undertaken at an Australian university and its pathway institution investigating casual academics’ experiences as peripheral members of the academy. Survey data from 59 casual academics and 13 follow-up interviews revealed several themes, including experiences of exclusion, lack of recognition and unpaid work. The study also found that most casual academics are women who experience intersectional marginalisation, being disadvantaged both as casual employees and as women, including due to ongoing caring responsibilities. Drawing on their lived experiences, the paper argues that casual academic staff often lack a sense of workplace belonging and inclusion. Yet they remain in precarious employment in the ‘hope’ of eventually securing a permanent academic position, even as identity characteristics such as gender restrict their capacity to engage in such labour and achieve these goals. The paper therefore offers recommendations for improving their working conditions and sense of belonging and provides (predominantly women) casual academics with a voice.