Cavu, Karen, and Winter, Abigail (2025) Lost in the third space: using Aristotle to map pathways from precarity into sustainable careers. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. (In Press)

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Abstract

In precarious times for higher education, the calls for career sustainability resonate across student, professional, and academic communities. From our perspective as third-space practitioners who navigate the liminal spaces between academic, professional, and administrative spheres, two Australian educators working in researcher development celebrate both the value we represent for our institutions and the transferability of our unique skillset.

Against a backdrop of institutional neoliberalism, we return to a classical founder of philosophy and teaching, to apply an ancient lens to sustainable career realignment. This paper aligns contemporary sustainable career frameworks with Aristotelian epistemology, amplifying the value of the third-space practitioner in navigating Aristotle’s five knowledges in pursuit of eudaimonia to sustain both ourselves and the students we support.

We propose both philosophical and pragmatic frameworks to integrate ancient wisdom with modern theory into a cohesive narrative of third-space educator strengths in preparing for unpredictable futures.

Item ID:	89497
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1469-9508
Keywords:	Third space; career sustainability; Aristotle’s five knowledges; eudaimonia
Related URLs:	Publisher
Copyright Information:	© 2025 Association for Tertiary Education Management
Date Deposited:	11 Nov 2025 22:55
FoR Codes:	39 EDUCATION > 3903 Education systems > 390303 Higher education @ 60% 50 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES > 5002 History and philosophy of specific fields > 500205 History and philosophy of the humanities @ 20% 50 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES > 5003 Philosophy > 500315 Philosophy of mind (excl. cognition) @ 20%
SEO Codes:	16 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 1601 Learner and learning > 160102 Higher education @ 40% 16 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 1601 Learner and learning > 160104 Professional development and adult education @ 30% 16 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 1602 Schools and learning environments > 160206 Workforce transition and employment @ 30%
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