Vol. 53 No. 1 (2023)
Articles

Faculty from Marginalized Groups in the Health and Social Service Professions: Challenging “Expected Academic” Identity and Roles

Tara Pride
Dalhousie University
Kaitlin Sibbald
Dalhousie University
Anna MacLeod
Dalhousie University
Debbie Martin
Dalhousie University
Michelle Owen
University of Winnipeg

Published 2023-08-30

Keywords

  • professional expectations,
  • academia,
  • marginalization,
  • equity

How to Cite

Pride, T., Sibbald, K., MacLeod, A., Martin, D., & Owen, M. (2023). Faculty from Marginalized Groups in the Health and Social Service Professions: Challenging “Expected Academic” Identity and Roles. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 53(1), 32–43. Retrieved from https://journals.sfu.ca/cjhe/index.php/cjhe/article/view/189935

Abstract

Academics have historically been members of socially dominant groups—white, cisgender, heterosexual men, from middle- to upper-classes, who identify as able-bodied and able-minded. Members of other groups are often disadvantaged. In two larger studies, semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals from marginalized groups. Here we explore the narratives of 16 participants who explicitly discussed their experiences in faculty positions within the health and social service professions. The expected academic roles of teacher, researcher, and colleague/administrator did not neatly fit for participants, clashing with the expectations they faced by virtue of their marginalized identities. Within the health and social service professions, the norms and expectations of the academy required marginalized faculty to make sacrifices of their time and sense of self to meet job demands. The effects of these role conflicts are pervasive, affecting many areas of academic work and beyond.

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