The white-collar hustle: academic writing & the Kenyan digital labour economy

Thesis

This study seeks to understand the experiences of young academic writers in Kenya, within the context of the new digital economy of educated-youth labour and global microwork exchanges. It situates academic writing in their wider lives and career trajectories; exploring the nature of their work, and the types of knowledge, skills and capital (if any) being developed through writing. The research design featured a case study of 27 current and former academic writers, and employed several methods, including; semi-structured interviews using WhatsApp, non-participant observation, Facebook data ‘scraping’, and document analysis of written samples.

Drawing on Thieme (2013), the thesis argues that academic writing acts as a ‘white-collar hustle’ for current undergraduate students and recent graduates in Kenya. It is an informal and precarious form of employment- facilitated through the digital economy- which affords Kenyan youth an avenue for developing academic and professional skills, while earning an income. Academic writing is primarily used as a part-time job alongside full-time studies, as a ‘place-holder’ during periods of would-be unemployment, and as a supplement to formal employment. Moreover, the writers have created an informal ‘community’ and ‘marketplace’ to their collective benefit, by leveraging existing personal and professional networks.

As such, the thesis challenges dominant narratives of youth (un)employment by suggesting that periods of transition are characterized by very active ‘making do’. Therefore, the study contends that the academic writing industry offers insights into the present and future of educated-youth work in Africa, and globally. In so doing, the study connects the global economy to local polities through the lens of contemporary experiences of youth; navigating assumptions and realities about Kenya’s place in a globalized world, and the young writers’ place in a newly-formed knowledge economy.

Authors: Walker, C

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-nz79gk12n
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: contract cheating; internet-mediated research; WhatsApp; unemployment; digital economy; hustle; youth; Kenya; informal economy; academic writing; higher education
• Subjects: Contract cheating; Kenya; Digital work; Informal sector (Economics); Education (Higher); Youth; Africa