Starting Academia Differently

1.  Introduction

Nicholous M. Deal and Kristin S. Williams

Part 1: Voices of Resistance

 2. ‘Othered’ Early Careering: What Is It Like Not to Be Born at the Finish Line?

Amal Abdellatif and Mai Chi Vu

 3. An Analytical Autoethnographic Exploration of My Tall Poppy Syndrome

 4. Composing Myself: A Reflexive Dialogical Inquiry

Gabrielle Durepos

Part 2: Navigating Early Academia

5. Dreaming Got Me Here and Will Keep Me Going: Reflections on a Journey to Academia

Scott Grant

6. You Want Me to Lead?  But I Feel Like I Just Got Here!

Steven D. Charlier and Rachel W. Smith

7. A Year of Rejections and Reflections: Starting Anew as a Migrant Researcher

Sara Ballero

Part 3: Alternative Academic Pathways

8. Early Career or Alt-Ac? Educational Development Career Trajectories

Emily Ballantyne and Leigh-Ann MacFarlane

9. An Inquiry into the Lived Experience of the Business Professional in Academia 

Robert A. Lloyd 

10. Achievement Unlocked: My Journey through the Academy 

Kristene Coller 

11. Jill of All Trades, Master of Some: An Early Career Academic at a Polytechnic 

Jennifer Cherneski 

Part 4: Gender and Temporal Disruption

12: Pursuing Pre-tenure Pregnancy 

Quinn Cunningham  

13. The Climb In: Gender, Work and Early Academic Life 

Lara Bertola 

14. This Is Not Valhalla”: An (Older) Woman Early Career Researcher as a Loki Plaything 

Adri van Hilten and Stefanie Ruel 

15. ‘Late bloomers’ Navigating the PhD Journey and Early Career Academia 

Helle C. Haven Petersen and Maria Matthews 

Part 5: Cultural Hybridity and Diaspora

16. Aristotle or Confucius? Friends or Foes? 

Seongwon Choi 

17. Shifting Identities: A Chinese-Born Japanese Scholar’s Journey of Resilience in a Hybrid Academic Space 

Yiting Weng 

18. Navigating Career Transition to Western Academia as Female Asian Scholars: A Collaborative Autoethnography 

Tianyuan Yu and Irene Margaret 

19. The Crystallization of a Young Scholar Identity: Have I Grown too Fast in Global South Academia? 

Caio César Coelho Rodrigues 

20. Academic Identity Engineering: Stories about Identity Construction from Academics in the Global South  

Mariana I. Paludi and Juan Felipe Espinosa Cristia  

Part 6: Resilience, Reflexivity and Reimagination

21. From University Dropout to Department Chair: How the Hell Did That Happen?  

Rhonda L. Dever

22. Answering the Call: Reclaiming Scholarship, Identity, and Community 

Blake Kanewischer 

23. Between Two Worlds: My Journey as a Scholar Navigating Western and Indigenous Cultures 

Heidi Weigand 

24. Hacking Academia: A Self-interview Study 

Kristin S. Williams 

Part 7: Rethinking Academic Practice

25. Scholarly Horizons: Cultivating Influence Inside and Outside Academic Walls 

Seth D. Selke 

26. Whose Early Career Is It Anyway? Asymmetric Reciprocity and Abusive Friendships in Academia 

Richard Longman  

27. Just Say No (To Pubs, for Now)  

Samantha Taylor 

28. A Time-Traveling Gangster Talks to a Drunk Soviet Bear 

Keshav Krishnamurty 

Part 8: Looking to the Horizon

29. All of You Is Welcome Here: Nurturing Radical Acceptance in the JEDDI-A Classroom 

Shelley T. Price and Katelynn Carter-Rogers 

30. Just Another Statustistic: Being Indigenous in Industry and Academia 

Mick Elliot-Keewatin (Okimâwâtik ᐅᑭᒪᐘᑎᐠ) 

31. Adjunctification as Early Careerism: A Duoethnography Exploring Precarious Academic Work 

Sheri Landry and Nicholous M. Deal 

Chapter 32: Manifestations of Curiosity and Nimbleness on the Way to Academic Success 

K. Davina Frick 

Biography

Nicholous M. Deal is an Associate Professor of Management in the Department of Business and Tourism at Mount Saint Vincent University, Canada.

Kristin S. Williams is an Associate Professor in Management with the FC Manning School of Business at Acadia University, Canada.

"The unique and diverse stories offered here prove that there is no linear path to becoming an academic. Each journey is different and full of twists and turns. The authors share their stories in a heartwarming and readable way that makes them a joy to read." Jean Helms Mills, Saint Mary’s University, Canada

"As an Indigenous scholar, I see in these pages an honest reflection of the colonial barriers that continue to shape who is deemed “hireable” and whose knowledges are deemed “credible.” The collection captures the tension of balancing institutional demands with the equally sacred responsibilities we carry - to family, community, and land. It also reveals how much courage it takes for many of us to step into academic spaces not built for us, and to keep showing up with integrity, heart, and purpose despite the weight of those structures." François Bastien, University of Victoria, Canada

"Drawing from critical, feminist and decolonial theories, this volume offers precious insights around some salient themes in contemporary academic careers: identity and belonging, marginalization and resistance, motherhood and care, cultural hybridity, and the reimagining of academic practice. It offers an understanding of different ways of being an academic and inhabiting this professional context by delivering theory informed chapters which are also creative, evocative and personal, and sharing experiences across continents and socio-cultural backgrounds." Ilaria Boncori, Essex University, UK

"This book will undoubtedly encourage early career academics to embrace the legitimacy of their own paths and to claim their place in academia on their own terms." Paulina Segarra, Universidad Anáhuac México, México

"Maybe business school professors can address grand societal challenges, but first that means rocking the boat. I cannot wait to share this book with my doctoral students as they start their own winding journeys. I know it will inspire them, and the cohorts that follow, to chart their own course – and then tell their stories, knowing they have a community of fellow travelers." Maureen Scully, UMass Boston, USA