Navigating Institutional Rules: A Biographical Exploration of Social Science Research Practices and Trajectories

This abstract explores how institutional rules in social science research shape the practices and career trajectories of researchers, contributing to the discourse on precarity in academic careers. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach combining in-depth interviews and biographical grids, the study examines the experiences of 24 mid-career and senior researchers from psychology, sociology, and anthropology across universities in Madrid and Barcelona.

The research adopts a biographical perspective to analyze how researchers navigate and negotiate various institutional rules, including publication requirements, ethical guidelines, and evaluation criteria. By focusing on the lived experiences of researchers, the study reveals the dynamic ways in which precarity manifests throughout academic careers, from early-stage pressures to publish to ongoing challenges in securing funding and achieving work-life balance.

The findings highlight how institutional rules can both enable and constrain research practices, leading to diverse coping strategies and career paths. The study also explores how researchers internalize and resist these rules, shaping their professional identities and research agendas. By tracing individual trajectories, the paper illuminates the cumulative effects of institutional pressures on researchers' sense of security and autonomy.

This biographical approach to studying precarity in academia offers nuanced insights into the subjective experiences of researchers and the long-term impacts of institutional rules on career development. The paper contributes to the broader discussion on precarity in the era of permacrisis by demonstrating how academic careers are increasingly characterized by uncertainty, risk, and the need for constant adaptation to changing institutional demands.