My other thought for the day is: are we happy with the term ECR? I'm thinking that it may undermine us. It is applied to scholars who have years and years of experience, brilliant teaching, wonderful publications, some of the most innovative engagement work.

We know that labels have a lot of power. If this was a historical term, what would we think of it? I think that it has built great communities of solidarity, which I love.

But then also does it justify low pay and precarious conditions to an extent, because it's 'early career' so thus seen as a brief and transient phase of sacrifice? Is that okay?

Does it mean that our academic contributions are taken less seriously, because they're seen as an early draft? When really surely all academic work is a draft, and 'early career' work can be some of the deepest and most innovative research, with the most time behind it?

Who gets to move more quickly from 'early career' status, is this term applied equally?

I feel like Donald Trump with all my tweets today so will leave it there, but interested if anyone has reading reccs on this question. I'm sure it's all been said and I've missed a lot. Can see how this may seem unimportant but also labels do matter and have real effects.