Prelims
The Intersections of a Working-Class Academic Identity: A Class Apart
ISBN: 978-1-83753-121-9, eISBN: 978-1-83753-118-9
Publication date: 9 July 2024
Citation
Crew, T. (2024), "Prelims", The Intersections of a Working-Class Academic Identity: A Class Apart, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. i-xiv. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-118-920241018
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2024 Teresa Crew
License
This work is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this work (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
Half Title Page
The Intersections of a Working-Class Academic Identity
Series Page
PRAISE FOR THE INTERSECTIONS OF A WORKING-CLASS ACADEMIC IDENTITY
A hugely important book, which deserves to be read not only by academics, whatever their class, but also all universities, who desperately need to update their policies to encompass central issues of class. Based on research with working-class academics at a wide range of university types, the book is erudite and offers a very significant contribution to the field. Everyone should read the research participants’ own proposals for university change – what a wonderful change to present policies and practices they would make! Bring them on!
Professor Valerie Walkerdine, Cardiff University
This rich and thought-provoking book provides a powerful rejoinder to deficit models of social mobility and underlines the profound wealth of knowledge and experience that working-class academics bring to the academy.
Professor Sam Friedman, London School of Economics
Title Page
The Intersections of a Working-Class Academic Identity: A Class Apart
BY
TERESA CREW
Bangor University, UK
United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China
Copyright Page
Emerald Publishing Limited
Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL.
First edition 2024
Copyright © Teresa Crew 2024.
Published by Emerald Publishing Limited.
This work is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this work (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
An electronic version of this book is freely available, thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched. KU is a collaborative initiative designed to make high quality books Open Access for the public good. More information about the initiative and links to the Open Access version can be found at www.knowledgeunlatched.org
Reprints and permissions service
Contact: www.copyright.com
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters’ suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-83753-121-9 (Print)
ISBN: 978-1-83753-118-9 (Online)
ISBN: 978-1-83753-120-2 (Epub)
Dedication
To my Daughters, Jade and Zoe, my pride and joy, and part of the next generation of working-class women in academia. Love Always xx
To Nick, Thank You for everything, even more so recently. Love Always. xx
Contents
| List of Figures and Tables | xi |
| Acknowledgements | xiii |
| Chapter 1: Class in Academia | 1 |
| Overview | 1 |
| Conducting the Research | 2 |
| Positioning My Own Experiences | 3 |
| Defining Class | 5 |
| Overview of the Book | 8 |
| Chapter 2: The Complex Question of Definition | 9 |
| Overview | 9 |
| Perspectives on Working-Class Academics | 10 |
| Defining a Working-Class Academic | 13 |
| Cultural Background | 16 |
| Financial Challenges | 16 |
| A Subjective Awareness of One’s Class Identity Within the Academic Context | 17 |
| The Impact of Habitus | 18 |
| Disparities in Capital Accumulation | 23 |
| Statistical Data on Working-Class Academics | 27 |
| Academic Precarity | 30 |
| Chapter 3: Classism | 33 |
| Overview | 33 |
| Stereotypes | 34 |
| Derogatory Comments | 36 |
| Food | 36 |
| Humour | 37 |
| Accent | 37 |
| Microaggressions | 39 |
| Minimisation | 41 |
| The Impacts of Classism | 43 |
| Imposter Syndrome | 43 |
| Not Fitting In | 45 |
| Isolation | 46 |
| Poor Health | 48 |
| Chapter 4: Intersectional Perspectives | 51 |
| Overview | 51 |
| Gender | 52 |
| Academic Housekeeping | 55 |
| Ethnicity | 57 |
| Representation | 60 |
| Classed and Racial Microaggressions | 61 |
| Disability | 63 |
| Precarity | 66 |
| Reasonable Adjustments | 67 |
| Conferences | 68 |
| Chapter 5: The Impact of Place | 71 |
| Overview | 71 |
| Institution | 71 |
| Elite Institutions | 74 |
| Class Pride | 76 |
| Russell Group Institutions | 76 |
| Post-1992 Institutions | 79 |
| Universities Abroad | 81 |
| Subject | 82 |
| Social Sciences | 85 |
| Education | 86 |
| Geography | 88 |
| Classical Studies | 89 |
| Physics | 92 |
| Practicality Versus Theory | 94 |
| Chapter 6: Working-Class Academic Cultural Wealth | 99 |
| Overview | 99 |
| Community Cultural Wealth | 99 |
| Aspirational Capital | 101 |
| Navigational Capital | 104 |
| Linguistic Capital | 107 |
| Familial/Social Capital | 109 |
| Resistance Capital | 110 |
| Perspective Capital | 115 |
| Chapter 7: ‘It doesn’t have to be like this’ | 119 |
| Key Findings | 119 |
| Definition and Measurement | 119 |
| Classism | 119 |
| Intersectionality | 119 |
| Community Cultural Wealth | 120 |
| Fostering Positive Change | 121 |
| Collect Data on Working-Class Academics | 122 |
| Highlight Class in Discussions of Equality and Diversity | 122 |
| Address Barriers to Conferences for WCAs with Disabilities | 126 |
| Networking and Mentoring Opportunities | 127 |
| Guarantee Financial Support | 128 |
| End Precarity | 133 |
| Recommendations for Further Research | 135 |
| Concluding Thoughts | 135 |
| Appendix | 137 |
| References | 143 |
List of Figures and Tables
| Figures | ||
| Fig. 1. | Four Manifestations of Classism Experienced by Working-Class Academics. | 33 |
| Fig. 2. | List of Subject Disciplines of Respondents. | 84 |
| Fig. 3. | Working-Class Academic Cultural Wealth. | 100 |
| Fig. 4. | A CHANGE Framework. | 121 |
| Fig. 5. | The Research Process. | 137 |
| Tables | ||
| Table 1. | Sociodemographic Characteristics of Academics from Working-Class Backgrounds in UK Labour Force Survey 2014–2022. | 28 |
| Table 2. | Gender of Respondents According to Each Research Phase. | 54 |
| Table 3. | Ethnicity of Respondents According to Each Research Phase. | 59 |
| Table 4. | Respondents with a Disability or Long-Term Illness According to Each Research Phase. | 64 |
| Table 5. | Respondents and Their Institutions According to Each Research Phase. | 74 |
| Table 6. | The Becher–Biglan Typology. | 83 |
| Table 7. | Ethnicity of Academics from Working-Class Backgrounds in UK LFS, 2014–2022. | 142 |
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the team at Emerald who have been so supportive and helped this book become a reality.
I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to my peer reviewers for their supportive comments. Their insights have been invaluable to me.
Thank you to Professor Valerie Walkerdine, Professor Diane Reay, and Professor Valerie Hey for their inspirational scholarship.
Thank you to Professor Sam Freidman and Dr Daniel Laurison for documenting the ‘Class Ceiling’, illuminating an area so long ignored in academia.
Thank you to Professor Tara Yosso for her wonderful work who has managed to provide an alternative lens in which to view marginalised groups.
Thank you to my colleagues at Bangor University, and people I have met along the way at various working-class academic events. Your support recently has not gone unnoticed!
Thank you as always to my students, past and present, who inspire and teach me some new every day.
Finally, this book would not have been possible without my research respondents. I’ve met wonderful people along the way who have reminded me just how much we offer to academia.