Introduction: Conceptualising the Academic Self

Becoming an academic can be an overwhelming, if not a completely consuming experience, and conceptualising this process is often fraught with a lack of understanding of both the process and the subsequent implications. Many academics struggle with the notion of who they are, despite believing that they are aware of who they want to be and where they are situated on their academic journey. Academic organisations, too, are in a state of flux, functioning neither consistently nor homogeneously. The entry criteria for working in higher education, for instance, is often the PhD. But this fails to prepare new academics for the general eclecticism of the sector, and securing a PhD in one institution and moving to another can prompt a significant existential shift in one’s perception of the self. In addition, many academics have had prior careers, yet the link between the two can seem tenuous and, in many cases, irrelevant.