Resistance as commitment. A reflective case study of teacher professionalism in neoliberal times

Rachel Forgasz, Geert Kelchtermans, Amanda Berry

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

    3 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In this article, we explore the concept of teacher professionalism in the higher education context of neoliberal performativity driven educational policy. We do so by analysing the extended narrative of Ursula, an academic working at a large, research-intensive university in Australia. Through this analysis, we see the debilitating effects of neoliberalism on the professional actions and identity of one educator. But we also see how resistance can function as the manifestation of commitment within a conceptualization of enacted teacher professionalism, and how caring action as an activist stance of principled resistance can support educators to align institutionally defined professionalism with their own professional self-understanding.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1656-1670
    Number of pages15
    JournalTeaching in Higher Education
    Volume28
    Issue number7
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2023

    Keywords

    • care
    • micropolitical literacy
    • neoliberalism
    • resistance
    • Teacher professionalism

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