Academic Identities in Higher Education: The Changing European Landscape

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Academic identity is continually being formed and reformed by the institutional, socio-cultural and political contexts within which academic practitioners operate. In Europe the impact of the 2008 economic crisis and its continuing aftermath accounts for many of these changes, but the diverse cultures and histories of different regions are also significant factors, influencing how institutions adapt and resist, and how identities are shaped. Academic Identities in Higher Education highlights the multiple influences acting upon academic practitioners and documents some of the ways in which they are positioning themselves in relation to these often competing pressures. At a time when higher education is undergoing huge structural and systemic change there is increasing uncertainty regarding the nature of academic identity. Traditional notions compete with new and emergent ones, which are still in the process of formation and articulation. Academic Identities in Higher Education explores this process of formation and articulation and addresses the question: what does it mean to be an academic in 21st century Europe

Reviews

In Academic Identities in Higher Education we are treated to a wonderfully accessible set of essays most with an autobiographical component by academics right across Europe. Implicitly and intriguingly, this volume opens the possibility that, for all of the instability in its formation, we may be seeing the emergence of a European academic identity. This is a special book and is essential reading for all those interested in academic identity, and I recommend it wholeheartedly. * Ronald Barnett, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education, Institute of Education, University College London, UK *
This book is a thoughtful and wide-ranging analysis of the multiple and complex institutional, sociocultural and political contexts that influence and shape academics and their work. Linda Evans and Jon Nixon have assembled an authoritative group of scholars who trace the varying impacts of major structural developments and institutional changes in higher education. Each author presents a compelling account of the temptations, tensions and challenges of being an academic in 21st century Europe. This collection is an informed, scholarly and critical contribution to current debates swirling in higher education and a valuable resource for the international higher education research community. * Tanya Fitzgerald, Professor of Leadership, Management and History, La Trobe University, Australia *
This insightful and thought-provoking collection narrates the seismic shifts in European higher education and the jarring impacts on academic identity. The reflectionssome deeply personalattest to the resilience of individuals in times of stress and dislocation. * Bob Adamson, Chair Professor of Curriculum Reform and Director of the Centre for Lifelong Learning Research and Development, Hong Kong Institute of Education, China *
A critical achievement and a polyphonous historical testimony of the transformations of European universities and higher education institutions at the beginnings of the 21th century. The authors of Academic Identities in Higher Education provide a reflexive compass for academics to navigate between their shifting roles as scholars, educators, intellectuals, researchers and advisors. They analyse how the structural changes in higher education across Europe towards more competitive and individualized forms of organizing intellectual work affect the core values of teaching and research and set them under pressure. The book offers glimpses of hope for European academics to emerge as nomadic identities with far-reaching intellectual horizons, being truly cosmopolitan agents of learning. * Claus Emmeche, Associate Professor, Department of Science Education, University of Copenhagen, Denmark *
As universities evolve to accommodate increasingly market-driven agenda, this collection offers timely reassurance of the shared values and professional practices that unite colleagues from across European higher education systems. Amid reform, austerity and stratification, it is a pleasure to be reminded of what it means to be an academic. * Steven Jones, Senior Lecturer and Programme Director for the PGCert in Higher Education, Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, UK *

Author Bio

Linda Evans is Professor of Leadership and Professional Learning at the University of Leeds, UK, and has previously worked at the University of Warwick, UK. Jon Nixon is Honorary Professor in the Center for Lifelong Learning Research and Development at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong, and Visiting Professor at Middlesex University, UK.