Contribution to Book
Reconstructing Culture and Identity in the Academy: Asian Female Scholars Theorizing Their Experiences
“Strangers" of the academy: Asian women scholars in higher education
(2006)
Abstract
T his book project began over a coffee break at the American Educational
Research Association in Seattle several years ago when we
shared our own experiences and excitement as new faculty members
trying to establish ourselves in the familiar yet strange academy. The academy
was familiar to us because we were the apprentices of the academy for
many years and we had learned the once unfamiliar discourses. Both of us
were happy with our academic positions and were fortunate to have very
supportive colleagues. Yet both of us felt we were "strangers" at times. After
all, as Asian, foreign-born, and female faculty members, we were "newcomers"
to the Western 'academy-we were "the traditional outsiders moving
into the positions of terihre and/or administrative power" (Lim & HerreraSobek,
2000, p. 1). We both were faced with unfamiliar challenges such as
gaining credibility as nonnative Teachers of English to Speakers of Other
Languages (TESOL) professionals and as female scholars, and dealing with
relations with students of Asian backgrounds. Sharing our personal and professional
stories was an empowering experience-we understood better who
we were as minority women and the path we had chosen. We believed that
we were not alone. Realizing the power of sharing, we decided to edit a volume
of works by Asian female scholars as a forum for our collective voice.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2006
Editor
G. Li & G. H. Beckett
Publisher
Stylus Publishing
Publisher Statement
Copyright Stylus Publishing 2006
Citation Information
Guofang Li and Gulbahar Beckett. "Reconstructing Culture and Identity in the Academy: Asian Female Scholars Theorizing Their Experiences" Sterling“Strangers" of the academy: Asian women scholars in higher education (2006) p. 1 - 11 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/gulbahar-beckett/9/