Being ''In and Out'': Providing Voice to Early Career Women in Academia

This book is about a network of women who as a collective and individuals can share their stories to indeed help themselves as well as others. Our stories as¬sist in the telling and retelling of important events. Reflecting on these events allow the 'processing', 'figuring out' and 'inquiring', leading to behavioural actions to change situations. The fact that we are women unites us as we have common elements with our roles both within academia, in our families, and in society. The women in this study share their narratives in an open dialogue. Their journey into and out of academia is constructed from {esc}(3z{esc}(Ba metaphorical three-dimensional inquiry space{esc}(3y{esc}(B (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000, p. 50). The space enables the authors to capture and communicate the emotional nature of lived experiences (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). The self-studies explore the changes in social and contextual approaches that are attached to working and studying in higher education. The book provides a narrative of the {esc}(3z{esc}(Bups{esc}(3y{esc}(B and {esc}(3z{esc}(Bdowns{esc}(3y{esc}(B that female academics have individually and collectively encountered while moving {esc}(3z{esc}(Bin{esc}(3y{esc}(B and {esc}(3z{esc}(Bout{esc}(3y{esc}(B of academia. Making these stories known establishes a sense of collaboration and com¬munity. This action serves to perpetuate and further develop the established pedagogy and look to improve practice. A community practice seeks to locate the learning in the process of co-participation (building social capital) and not just within individuals (Hanks, 1991). It allows females to come together to share experience and discuss ways forward Front Matter....Pages i-xii Beginning the Conversation Looking in and Looking out....Pages 1-6 Front Matter....Pages 7-7 Just Keep Following the Heartlines on your Hand....Pages 9-17 Are you Old Enough to be in Academia? you don’t have Grey Hair....Pages 19-30 Teacher to Academic....Pages 31-42 Sending Out a Tweet....Pages 43-54 Front Matter....Pages 55-55 Right Back Where We Started From....Pages 57-67 Finding Pockets of Agency....Pages 69-78 Front Matter....Pages 79-79 Mum (Ph.D.)....Pages 81-92 Towards Joy....Pages 93-102 Lessons from Lobsters....Pages 103-115 Academic? ... I’m Just a Teacher....Pages 117-127 Academic Seeking Sustainability....Pages 129-140 From Wrestling a Crocodile to Exploring New Billabongs....Pages 141-149 Front Matter....Pages 151-151 The 20/20 Project....Pages 153-163 Final Thoughts....Pages 165-170 This book is about a network of women who as a collective and individuals can share their stories to indeed help themselves as well as others. Our stories asƠsist in the telling and retelling of important events. Reflecting on these events allow the 'processing', 'figuring out' and 'inquiring', leading to behavioural actions to change situations. The fact that we are women unites us as we have common elements with our roles both within academia, in our families, and in society. The women in this study share their narratives in an open dialogue. Their journey into and out of academia is construc TABLE OF CONTENTS; EDITORIAL BOARD OF THIS VOLUME; BIOGRAPHIES; FOREWORD; 1. BEGINNING THE CONVERSATION LOOKING IN AND LOOKING OUT:Jumping In and Jumping Out; BEGINNING THE CONVERSATION; WAYS FORWARD; REFERENCES; BEING IN THE ACADEMY; 2. JUST KEEP FOLLOWING THE HEARTLINES ON YOUR HAND; PRELUDE; INTRODUCTION; WHO AM I?; BECOMING AND BEING A REFLECTIVE PROFESSIONAL; Step 1: Negotiating Multiple Identities; Step 2: Socialising into the Profession; Step 3: Developing a Personal Epistemology; Following My Heartline: My Flights; GENERAL FLIGHT; FLIGHT UPWARDS; FLIGHT DOWNWARD; FLIGHT TO SIDELINE FLIGHT TO THE SIDELINESFLIGHT OF PERSEVERATION; FINAL FLIGHT AND WHERE TO NEXT?; CONCLUSION; REFERENCES; 5. SENDING OUT A TWEET:Finding New Ways to Network in Academia; PRELUDE; INTRODUCTION; WHO AM I?; ACADEMIC WOMEN AND NETWORKING; MY FLIGHTS; GENERAL FLIGHT; FLIGHT UPWARDS; FLIGHT DOWNWARD; FLIGHT TO SIDELINE; FLIGHT OF PERSEVERATION; FINAL FLIGHT AND WHERE TO NEXT?; CONCLUSION; NOTE; REFERENCES; BEING IN BUT SEEN AS OUT:THIRD SPACES OF ACADEMIA; 6. RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM:Circular Career Migration; PRELUDE; INTRODUCTION; WHO AM I?; OPPORTUNITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION; MY FLIGHTS UPDRAFTS AND DIVES: LITERATURE ON NEGOTIATING MOTHERHOOD AND ACADEMIAMY FLIGHTS; NESTING: BECOMING A MOTHER; GENERAL FLIGHT: ENTERING ACADEMIA; UPWARDS FLIGHT: BECOMING ACADEMIC; DOWNWARD FLIGHTS: AFFECTING ACADEMIA; SIDEWAYS FLIGHT: GAINING PERSPECTIVE ON ACADEMIA; FLIGHTS OF PERSEVERATION: NEGOTIATING ACADEMIA; FINAL FLIGHTS AND WHERE TO NEXT?; CONCLUSION; REFERENCES; 9. TOWARDS JOY; PRELUDE; INTRODUCTION; WHO AM I?; BECOMING AN ACADEMIC; MY FLIGHTS; GENERAL FLIGHT; FLIGHT UPWARDS; FLIGHT DOWNWARD; FLIGHT TO SIDELINE; FLIGHT OF PERSEVERATION; CONCLUSION; NOTE; REFERENCES FLIGHT OF PERSERVERATIONFINAL FLIGHT AND WHERE TO NEXT?; CONCLUSION; REFERENCES; 3. ARE YOU OLD ENOUGH TO BE IN ACADEMIA? YOU DON'T HAVE GREY HAIR:Constructions of Women in Academia; PRELUDE; INTRODUCTION; WHO AM I?; GENDER AND IDENTITY; MY FLIGHTS; GENERAL FLIGHT; FLIGHT UPWARDS; FLIGHT DOWNWARD; FLIGHT TO SIDELINE; FLIGHT OF PERSEVERATION; FINAL FLIGHT AND WHERE TO NEXT?; CONCLUSION; REFERENCES; 4. TEACHER TO ACADEMIC:Becoming and Belonging; PRELUDE; INTRODUCTION; WHO AM I?; IDENTITY; MY FLIGHTS; GENERAL FLIGHT; FLIGHT UPWARDS (AND DOWN AND UP AGAIN); FLIGHT DOWNWARD GENERAL FLIGHTFLIGHT UPWARDS; FLIGHT DOWNWARD; FLIGHT TO SIDELINE; FLIGHT OF PERSEVERATION; FINAL FLIGHT AND WHERE TO NEXT?; CONCLUSION; NOTES; REFERENCES; 7. FINDING POCKETS OF AGENCY:Reconstructing Academic Identity; PRELUDE; INTRODUCTION; WHO AM I?; COLLEGIALITY AND INDEPENDENCE; MY FLIGHTS; GENERAL FLIGHT; FLIGHT UPWARDS; FLIGHT DOWNWARD; FLIGHT TO SIDELINE; FLIGHT OF PERSEVERATION; FINAL FLIGHT AND WHERE TO NEXT?; CONCLUSION; REFERENCES; BEING OUT AND MOVING IN OF ACADEMIA; 8. MUM (PH. D.):Negotiating Motherhood in Early Career Academia; PRELUDE; INTRODUCTION