ABSTRACT
Writing for publication and the goal of tenure and promotion is an expectation for all scholars. There has been much documentation of the experiences, identities and challenges faced by women in academia (Smith, 1987; hooks, 1993; Mayuzumi, 2008; Smith, 2010; Wallin & Wallace, 2018). In this paper, I delve into the complexities of what it means to be a woman writing for scholarly publication, specifically women academics working within faculties of education. Semistructured in-depth interviews will be used as a method to gain insight into the particular experiences and perspectives of women academics writing for scholarly purposes. Smith (2008) explains, ‘different stories, and differently told stories, construct various narratives of the academy as it relates to its raison d’etre, its mandate, bodies who occupy it, as well as the bodies of knowledge it produces and privileges’ (p. 41). The complexities of what it means to be a woman scholar in academia will be considered and aspects such as conflicting academic identities, solidifying one's own research and dissemination of knowledge, and sitting with the possible discomfort of competition will be explored.
