Through societal impact-agendas in Danish policy making and institutional strategizing, the humanities PhD rests on an unsettled curriculum pulling the purpose of the PhD, the meaning of research, and the learning trajectories of PhD students in different directions simultaneously (Bengtsen et al, 2021). Doctoral students are expected to create original research on an international level, develop generic competences and transferrable skills for a professional job-market, and to collaborate with local external partners co-funding the PhD. For many PhD supervisors and students, the notions of purpose, ownership, agency, and the meaning of research are highly confused (Bengtsen, 2022). The presentation takes a theoretical stance within discourse theory (Foucault, 1982) and the student voice literature (Batchelor, 2008).