Running, Writing, Resilience: A Self-Study of Collaborative Self-Care Among Women Faculty

• In Event: Stress and Coping in Higher Education

Abstract

Many faculty struggle in the “publish or perish” climate of higher education, intensified by a neoliberal agenda that promotes austerity and individualism. Although cross-disciplinary scholarship offers best practices for successful academic publishing, we know little about the lived experience of faculty writers and the strategies they use to survive and transform oppressive systems and structures of academia. This self-study examines the intersecting stories of three female faculty members to determine how our collaborative, consistent running practice nurtures personal and professional identities. Drawing on the concept of physical feminism, we offer a visual narrative in the form of a marathon map, surfacing insights about how women faculty navigate challenges of the tenure track through relationship building and collaborative self-care.

Authors

• Sandra L. Tarabochia, University of Oklahoma

• Kristy Brugar, University of Oklahoma