Using Creative Nonfiction to Explore Influences on Our Academic Identities as South African Teacher Educators

Academic identity is the way academics view themselves in the academic arena. This chapter explains how we used creative nonfiction as an arts-based educational research method in our self-studies to explore the influences on our academic identities. The research question for our chapter was: “What did we learn about influences on our academic identities through sharing our use of creative nonfiction?” Using literature and film as devices for creative nonfiction, we explore our lived experiences and tell our evocative stories as we seek to understand our academic identities. By identifying with fictional characters, we found it easier to share our academic journeys and experiences and to re-imagine who we want to be as lecturers. As we re-imagined our academic identities by juxtaposing the influences on our academic selves with fictional characters, we found ourselves going back and forth, and we realised that trying to build an academic identity is a fluid and complex process that is infinite. The chapter concludes by indicating where our shared stories intersect and highlighting how we found it less threatening to reflect on our experiences by juxtaposing them with literary characters.