The Making of an Academic

Timescale:

November 2008 - May 2009

Overview:

This project consists of a reflexive examination of being an academic, in a self-funded, social justice institute, based in a post-1992 university. It endeavours to understand the identity processes at stake for academics, in the neo-liberal context of UK Higher Education which is increasingly concerned with ‘accountability’ and audit cultures (as for example reflected by the Research Assessment Exercise, project-based research and staff appraisals).

In relation to the contradictory demands and expectations directed towards academics, we intend to explore:

- the diversity and commonalities in identities at work within academia,
- how the ‘academic’ and ‘personal’ connect,
- and, how these relate to positionings of gender, social class, ethnicity, age, disability and religion.

We will conduct four semi-structured interviews within the team (of about an hour each) - the first will be a group discussion and subsequently we will carry out three individual interviews. Transcribed interviews will be subjected to discourse analysis.

Staff:

Uvanney Maylor

Heather Mendick

Marie-Pierre Moreau