Overview

As academia increasingly comes under attack in the United States, The War on Tenure steps in to demystify what professors do and to explain the importance of tenure for their work. Deepa Das Acevedo takes readers on a backstage tour of tenure-stream academia to reveal hidden dynamics and obstacles. She challenges the common belief that tenure is only important for the protection of academic freedom. Instead, she argues that the security and autonomy provided by tenure are also essential to the performance of work that students, administrators, parents, politicians, and taxpayers value. Going further, Das Acevedo shows that tenure exists on a spectrum of comparable employment contracts, and she debunks the notion that tenure warps the incentives of professors. Ultimately, The War on Tenure demonstrates that the job security tenure provides is not nearly as unusual, undesirable, or unwarranted as critics claim.

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9781009596824

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Reviews

'A compelling, thought-provoking exploration of academia's most debated topic: tenure. Masterfully bridging history, law, social science, and fascinating contemporary stories, The War on Tenure will be an engaging and insightful read for anyone who cares about the future of education, the power of ideas, and the rights of workers in an increasingly precarious world. Thoughtful and timely, this book is a powerful reminder that defending tenure is about more than academia - it's about protecting workers whose labor is valued by all participants in our democracy.' Orly Lobel, award-winning author of The Equality Machine: Harnessing Digital Technology for a Brighter, More Inclusive Future (PublicAffairs), and Warren Distinguished Professor of Law and Director, Center for Employment & Labor Policy (CELP), University of San Diego 'The War on Tenure is the book we didn't know we needed. Das Acevedo deftly punctures the self-serving academic myths of tenure, while also, with empathy and candor, revealing what we lose when it's gone. Situating tenure as an employment category, she reveals the stark, yet rarely acknowledged, human costs of both failing to get it, and getting it - since even successful tenure carries with it forces of deprivation, depreciation, and devaluation of its holder.' Karen Kelsky, Ph.D., founder and CEO, The Professor Is In 'The War on Tenure is a tour de force defense of faculty tenure drawing on legal analysis, anthropology of work, education research, and various social sciences. In the current moment, political forces will surely continue to move toward the eradication of tenure, making logic in support of it essential. Das Acevedo takes on common critiques raised about tenure and dismantles them with data and deeper exploration. What stands out as unique is her support for tenure as a worker protection for professionals who invest time and money in pursuit of an advanced degree. There is a very real sacrifice and barrier to entry into the professoriate that warrants the job security awarded with tenure. The book is written in a personal and engaging style that makes it a compelling read.' Adrianna Kezar, Professor and Director of the Pullias Center, University of Southern California, and Director of the Delphi Project on the Changing Faculty and Student Success

Author Information

Deepa Das Acevedo is a legal anthropologist and employment law scholar. Her previous books include Beyond the Algorithm: Qualitative Insights for Gig Work Regulation (2020) and The Battle for Sabarimala: Religion, Law, and Gender in Contemporary India (2024).

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