Embedded Neoliberalism Within Faculty Professional Identity

• In Event: Power, Prestige, Legitimacy, and Identity

Abstract

We investigated the professional identities of full-time faculty in three California higher educational institutional types---research university, state comprehensive university, and community college---in order to determine the presence of and the extent to which neoliberal policies and practices influenced and shaped faculty professional identity. We interviewed 43 full-time faculty at three institutions and used narrative analysis to explain the professional identity of faculty. We conclude that components of market liberalism, such as economic competition and competitive advantage, are central to self-representations of faculty at all three institutions.

Authors

• John S. Levin, University of California - Riverside

• Aida Aliyeva, University of California - Riverside