Remote working in academia: a site of contested identities.

This development paper discusses the affects and impact of formalised remote (location-independent) working on notions and construction of academic identity. Data is drawn from a six year longitudinal ethnographic study exploring the lived experiences of location-independent and office-based academics. Findings suggest academic identities are being dynamically recreated, with a more or less conscious awareness of how this is being done. The organisational decision to formalise location-independent working (LIW) led to a distinct group of academics identifying themselves as ‘LIW’ and office-based academics identifying themselves as distinct from their LIW colleagues. The dynamic interplay between LIW and office-based academics resulted in contested identities between these two groups. Despite these manufactured and socially constructed divisions, both groups identified strongly with the notion of an overarching academic identity. As such, the notion of academic identity was not contested, but it was seen as threatened and, potentially weakened, by the prevailing managerialist culture.