A systematic review of research on early career academics’ identity in neoliberal higher education from 2008 to 2022

ABSTRACT

Early career academics (ECAs) are a highly vulnerable group, typically facing job insecurities, persistent pressure to publish, and conflicts in academic values and beliefs. Researchers have noted the precarious position of ECAs in neoliberal universities and expressed growing concerns regarding the effects of neoliberalism within higher education on ECAs’ academic identity construction. To generate a comprehensive picture of ECAs’ academic identity construction in neoliberal higher education, this paper reviewed existing studies (n = 17) on ECAs’ identities from 2008 to 2022. A thematic synthesis revealed that ECAs’ identities are fraught with insecurity and ambivalence but maintain a certain authenticity. In addition, it also found that ECAs use various identity construction strategies, including alignment, adherence, negotiation, and withdrawal. The paper also critically assessed the research methodologies utilized in ECAs’ identity research and highlighted directions for future research. The review contributes to our understanding of the impact of neoliberalism on academic identity and ECAs’ strategies for professional survival in a neoliberal context.

KEYWORDS:

• Early career academics
• academic identity
• higher education
• neoliberalism
• systematic review

Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to Professor Rui (Eric) YUAN at the University of Macau for his thoughtful comments and suggestions on early versions of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by University of Macau, Macau SAR, China [grant number: MYRG2020-00088-FED].