Dependency, Vulnerability and Bullying in University

Doctorate Supervision Through the Lens of Care

Authors

  • Ludovic Joxe Université Lyon 1

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56105/cjsae.v37i02.5734

Abstract

The non completion of a thesis can be explained by institutional or individual factors; nonetheless, several works note the presence of conflict between doctoral students and supervisors, sometimes extending to physical and psychological bullying on the part of the supervisor. Based on a monograph specific to France, the present article seeks to study a dysfunctional doctoral supervision relationship through the lens of care. This approach first highlights the multiple facets of dependency a doctoral candidate is subject to, then examines the supervisor’s power to eliminate this dependency through care or to instead reinforce it or even abuse it through a lack of attention termed “discare”. Finally, it explores the ambivalent importance of transfers of care within university and friendship networks, called “substitution care”. The underlying implication throughout the monograph seeks to point out the social reproduction in which the French doctoral institution is complicit by selecting, among the doctoral candidates suffering from discare, the ones that are more privileged while excluding those most vulnerable.

Published

2026-02-11

How to Cite

Joxe, L. (2026). Dependency, Vulnerability and Bullying in University: Doctorate Supervision Through the Lens of Care. Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, 37(02). https://doi.org/10.56105/cjsae.v37i02.5734