Learning to resist and restore: The impact of feminist mentoring

Feminist mentoring can provide essential support to early-career researchers and doctoral students, who often occupy a liminal position within the academy and are likely to experience imposter syndrome and anxiety. This piece reflects on my experiences of informal feminist mentoring and its impact on me, my work, and my relation to the academy. I argue that feminist mentoring can lead to resistance of the neoliberal academy by encouraging a critique of individualism and a focus on collaboration. It can also lead to restoration of feminist identity and confidence by creating a sense of belonging and a space for discussion of ideas, concepts and complex topics. I finish the piece with an expression of gratitude for the labour of women academics, too often invisibilised.