Academic Identity Engineering: Stories about Identity Construction from Academics in the Global South

Abstract

This chapter explores the shaping of academic identities through two autoethnographic narratives, examining how asymmetrical power dynamics and organizational culture impact individual journeys in Chilean academia. The first story, “Conforming to Academic Toxic Environment,” employs Gloria Anzaldúa’s theory of constructing situated knowledge from the borders to analyze a young, brown, female academic’s experiences with gender, nation, and age-based marginalization within a private university valuing authoritative leadership. The second, “The Masculinized Academic,” recounts a 53-year-old white man’s late entry into academia, highlighting how established guidelines for progression can be overlooked, and individuals subjected to opaque evaluations and arbitrary decisions. Both narratives illuminate how prevalent Chilean “masculine environments” and the privilege of being a white man (or lack thereof) profoundly influence professional trajectories and personal well-being, challenging the normalization of such damaging experiences.