Work

Navigating privilege and precarity: A reflexive inquiry into identity, academia, and Indian media industries

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This autoethnographic study explores the interplay of identity, privilege, and precarity in academic research. Reflecting on a migrant academic’s journey across India, Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands, the article interrogates how caste, class, and religious background shape both scholarly inquiry and professional trajectories. It examines structural exclusions, the performative dimensions of academic labor, and methodological dilemmas in studying informal media economies. Drawing from reflexive and interdisciplinary perspectives, the study critiques hierarchical knowledge production and institutional biases while advocating for greater critical self-awareness in global academia and media industry research.

Source: European Journal of Cultural Studies

DOI: 10.1177/13675494251361366

Author: Smith Mehta

Institution: University of Groningen

Language: English

Topic: Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650