ABSTRACT
Teacher identity has attracted increasing attention in applied linguistics and the significant role of identity in teacher development is widely recognized. One of the challenges experienced by teachers in higher education institutions in the context of global economic insecurity is that of dealing with economic hardship and redundancy. Exploring how teachers deal with identity negotiations and challenges that they encounter in their professional lives provide a valuable opportunity for understanding the complex relationship between context and identity, which makes it deserving of at least as much attention. This chapter drawing on narrative interviews with two teachers who faced mid-career redundancy, will examine the ways in which professional changes impacted on the personal and professional identities of the teachers involved. Ebru's response seems to have been strongly influenced by the way she constructs her identity as a teacher. Burcu's perception of her ideal self seemed to be in conflict with the idea of being a teacher.
