Higher Education and Working-Class Academics

Crew, Teresa

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-58352-1

Cited by 46 publications

(30 citation statements)

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“…24). 'We', working class academics, sparkle with pedagogical gifts (Crew, 2020) and represent a bridge between ''educated' middle-class life to the 'real' world ' (Greenwald and Grant 1999: 28). 'Working class is achievement.. a space of philosophy, art, science.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Perhaps as Attfield (2007) critically comments, there is a presumption that entry into academia is a 'ticket out of the working classes ' (p. 33). But the material conditions of one's social heritage has a lasting impact on one's identity, especially in a hierarchical institution like academia (Crew, 2020). The classic texts on these 'Strangers in Paradise' (Ryan & Sackrey, 1984), suggest that the academy is not a welcoming environment, as the different worlds working-class academics (WCA) inhabit are often in conflict with each other.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Untitled

2021

JWCS

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Despite an increasing focus on the impact of class in higher education, less has been said about the experiences of those working-class people who navigate from student to scholar. In the largest interview study to date, conducted in the United Kingdom, this paper draws upon extensive qualitative interview data with ninety working-class academics. This article highlights the hostile encounters faced by these academics but also illuminates the forms of capital and the assets they bring to academia. The article suggests how we can move forward before providing a reminder that the working class should not be viewed by their supposed deficits (real or imaginary).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Untitled

2021

JWCS

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“…Papers devoted to upwardly mobile academics discuss many different kinds of "resource deficits," ranging from poverty (Friedman, 2016;Walley, 2013), low social respect (Adair et al, 2007;Hurst and Warnock, 2015;Butler, 2021), inadequatei.e. non-middle classdemeanor, clothing, language, taste (Skeggs, 2004;Oldfield, 2007;Case, 2017;Lee, 2017;Crew, 2020), lack of cultural knowledge (Mckenzie, 2016;Crew, 2020) or unfamiliarity with academic norms and customs (Oldfield, 2007), insufficient self-confidence (Reddin, 2012;Warnock and Hurst, 2016;Case, 2017), "survival guilt" (Walkerdine, 1994;Walkerdine et al, 2001), to lacking social relations with gatekeepers and key figures in a given field (Crew, 2020). One of Teresa Crew's interlocutors summed these accounts up very concisely: "I am playing catch up, economically and culturally, in comparison to those who had a smoother transition into academia" (Crew, 2020: 40).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social class as a blessing in disguise? Beyond the deficit model in working-class and higher education studies

Łuczaj

2022

EDI

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PurposeThe overarching question of this paper is, “What are the advantages of being an upwardly mobile academic?” The extant academic research on working-class academics has usually emphasized various kinds of “deficits” of working-class academics. In this paper, the author demonstrates that although class positions can constitute a formidable burden, they can translate into specific advantages in academia.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on the narrative, phenomenological approach, which has been applied in working-class studies and higher-education research. The empirical material comprises the collection of 25 narrative interviews conducted and analyzed according to the biographical narrative interpretive method (BNIM).FindingsThis paper looks at the experience of working-class academics from a holistic perspective, including both the downsides and upsides of being an “outsider within,” or “insider without.” It uncovers four assets of a working-class background – referred to as “navigational capital,” “revolutionary potential,” “wisdom” and a distinct “working-class pedagogy.”Practical implicationsThe working-class pedagogy can be turned into support programs for working-class individuals. Their navigational capital can foster evolutionary changes and small improvements for the benefit of the entire academic community. Their revolutionary dispositions can trigger major reforms, and their unique experiences can be utilized as case studies in teaching.Originality/valueThis paper engages with the literature on the cultural mismatch and cleft habitus in the academic context. It analyzes the positive but rarely discussed aspects of being an upwardly mobile academic with a working-class background. By recognizing these unique assets, it engages with the literature on inclusive universities and can help make higher education more inclusive and sustainable.

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“…Finally, it is necessary to prioritize the development of critical and reflective debates about the situation of young academics, since, ultimately, the future of the university and of science is in their hands. If no action is taken, this situation may lead to the loss of bright students who could make a significant contribution to research and knowledge (Crew, 2020), which, as a consequence, will have a direct impact on science and universities.…”

Section: Ta B L E 2 Geographical Distribution Of Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early career researchers' identity: A qualitative review

Mula

Rodríguez

Segovia

2021

Higher Education Quarterly

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In recent decades, higher education has witnessed the development of a series of policies aimed at improving its quality. To this end, accountability measures have been promoted, which are having a major impact on academics. In addition, the precariousness of work in this professional sector is contributing to emphasise its consequences. In this context, early career researchers have become a highly vulnerable group, as the pretence of wanting to be part of the academic world is becoming an increasingly challenging purpose. This systematic review of the literature aims to collect and systematise the most relevant contributions on the impact that this situation has on the professional identity of young academics. To this end, a bibliographic search was carried out in four different databases (Web of Science, Scopus, Education Resources Information Center, Google Scholar), which yielded a total of 24 articles published in international journals. The results show how the political‐economic measures that currently surround higher education are contributing to the development of a new neoliberal academic subject characterised by a professional identity unconsciously subjected to the system's requirements. This identity is characterised by a prioritisation of research over teaching, by the development of unethical research practices and by their impact on health and social and family relations. Finally, the need for more studies in this line with other approaches (longitudinal) and with more general and varied samples is emphasised.

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Higher Education and Working-Class Academics

Cited by 46 publications

References 0 publications

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Social class as a blessing in disguise? Beyond the deficit model in working-class and higher education studies

Early career researchers' identity: A qualitative review

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