International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations
Volume 14, Issue 1, 2014, Pages 39-50

Immigrant women, academic work, and agency: Negotiating identities and subjectivities with/in the ivory tower (Article)

Lawless B. , Chen Y.-W.
  • a Department of Communication Studies, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
  • b School of Communication Studies, Ohio University, Athens, OH, United States

Abstract

The authors explore first-person stories, narratives, and discourses from self-identified immigrant women faculty members across intersecting subject positions (e.g., race, class, immigration status, etc.) regarding how they negotiate their subjectivity within the U.S. academe. Data includes interviews from 21 female faculty members from several universities across the United States. Participants immigrated from a total of 13 different countries, spanning four continents, and representing multiple disciplines. The authors utilized critical discourse analysis (CDA) to link individual experiences with wider societal ideologies. This study reveals findings regarding the simultaneous navigation of the citizenship discourses/processes and multilevel experiences with micro-aggressions. We suggest several implications regarding the treatment of "difference" in global education systems and the challenges for international faculty who participate in such systems. Based on these findings, we offer participants' recommendations for successfully navigating these challenges and affirming the value of diversity in educational contexts. © 2015, the author(s).

Author Keywords

discourse Higher education Micro-aggressions Ideologies Immigration body politics

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84960925128&partnerID=40&md5=b9cfe1db306047f0f2f5fb2a5777191d

ISSN: 14479532
Cited by: 6
Original Language: English