Emotions at Work: The Case of Chronic Illnesses in Academia

Sara Bonfanti; Maddalena Cannito; Manuela Naldini

doi:10.6092/issn.1971-8853/21084

Authors

Sara Bonfanti Department of Political Sciences, University of Genoa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0211-2017

Sara Bonfanti, PhD, is a Social Anthropologist with expertise on diasporas and multi-site ethnography. Keen on participatory approaches, her interests include kinship, ethical pluralism, and medical narratives, seen through intersectionality and visual methods. She collaborated in several ERC and PRIN projects, including GEA “GEndering Academia”, which gave way to this collaborative article. She currently teaches at the University of Milan and is a Research Affiliate at the Department of Political Sciences of the University of Genoa (Italy).
Maddalena Cannito Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Turin https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9979-8080

Maddalena Cannito, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Turin (Italy). Her research interests lie primarily in the fields of men’s studies, gender studies, and the sociology of the family, and can be grouped into three main areas. The first concerns the social construction of masculinity, fatherhood, and gender roles within welfare systems, public and private workplaces, and the family. The second focuses on national, local, and corporate policies for families, parenting, and work-life balance. The third area addresses male violence against women and the role of local networks in combating and preventing this phenomenon.
Manuela Naldini Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Turin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3433-7598
Manuela Naldini, PhD from European University Institute, is Full Professor of Sociology of the Family at the Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Turin (Italy), and Fellow at the Collegio Carlo Alberto. Her main areas of interest are: family changes, comparative welfare state, gender studies, work-family reconciliation issues, childcare and elderly care policies, and gendering academia. She has coordinated several international and national research projects. Among others, she has been the P.I. of Project GEA “GEndering Academia”, funded by the Italian Ministry of Research and University and awarded as Project of National Interest (PRIN). https://www.pringea.it/ .

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1971-8853/21084

Keywords:

Emotion work, chronic illness, sickness, academia, inequalities

Abstract

Given the large number of reported chronic diseases across several segments of the population, the article explores the relationship between having a chronic illness, emotions, and academic work. Based on interviews with university staff, collected in Italy between 2020 and 2023 within a national research project on gender dis/advantage in academia, the essay sheds light on the hidden dimensions of universities as organizational settings in which all members participate in the dual dynamics of “emotion work” and “emotional labor” (Hochschild, 1979 & 1983): two facets of one coin, which flips unequally on multiple grounds, evermore when the social management of health conditions comes into play. Results show that academics with chronic diseases have to face daily challenges in navigating perceived stigma and adhering to over-commitment and expected performance (even more so for non-tenure track positions). However, data also show that informal solidarity and self-resilience thrive among university staff, allowing an expressive space for emotions to promote a more inclusive work ethic in academia.

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Emotions at Work: The Case of Chronic Illnesses in Academia

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