"Studying towards a doctoral qualification, at least in my experience and those of the students I have supervised and taught over the years, is a unique experience, and one that more often than not is profoundly stressful, seemingly endless and beset by numerous competing, even incompatible demands. The twelve contributors to this book offer rich, scholarly and carefully crafted accounts of the process from different parts of the world. As importantly, though, the book provides a much needed first person testament to the fact that the life of a doctoral student is intellectually, emotionally, politically and economically precarious. An exceptionally important collection which deserves to be read by academics at all career stages.”