Publish or Perish?: Voices from Kevin

This chapter presents an analysis of Kevin’s professional identityIdentity as an applied linguistics teacher and researcher in a research-oriented university. Kevin initially felt external pressure due to the “unfair” tenure track system. However, the recognition and support from the academic community helped Kevin develop a strong identity as a researcher despite the challenges posed by the “publish-or-perish” syndrome. Institutional recognition and support, such as cutting teaching hours, support for attending international conferences, rewarding publications, and family support, reinforced Kevin’s identityIdentity as a scholar. The institutional agenda shaped Kevin’s participation in different communities and triggered his investment in a researcher identityResearcher identity, and he strategically adopted participation and non-participation to negotiate his desired identities. The analysis revealed that the construction of professional identities is mediated by the rules in different activity systems, and tension plays a proactive role in identityIdentity construction.