This paper provides a historic overview of the crises that have faced the Canadian professoriate since the 1950s. Historic periodization is used to identify the eras, defined by broader societal movements, in which the nature of academic work in Canada has changed. Key narratives of crisis are identified, including: the post-WWII perspective that professors' work was elite but mundane; the 1970s emphasis on poor working conditions and unionization; and the 1990s emphasis on diversity and inequity. The paper concludes by examining the current crisis in which a fragmented professoriate is facing market-driven working conditions, exacerbated by the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper argues that crises in academic work are sparked when there is tension between society's expectations of professors and professors' self-perceptions of their role and contributions.