Practising knowledge: academic- practitioners’ narratives of career and identity.

This paper discusses an on-going project which explores narrative accounts of male and female academic practitioners about their careers and perceived identities. These individuals have qualified and practiced in at least one health or social care practitioner role (for example, social work or speech and language therapy). Most continue some form of practice, either directly or via professional supervision. They have also pursued academic recognition and qualification, undertaking a higher degree and working in academic settings, often within professional education.
The paper discusses methodological aspects of the project and initial findings from interviews. I draw on current discourses relating to power, managerialism and governance within overlapping higher education and health and social care sectors (Dent & Whitehead (eds), 2002; Morley,
2003). Academic-practitioners work with discourses about ‘knowledge’, ‘practice’ and related concepts (such as ‘competence’) on an everyday basis in their higher education careers and in constructing their identities.
The project is informed by an overall anthropological understanding of ‘identity’ (Barth, 2000), further discussed by Jenkins (2004).

Selected papers from the 11th International Research Conference, hosted by Luleå University of Technology, Department of Human Work Science, held 31st August – 1st September 2007.