Navigating academic identity: an autoethnographic study of culturally and linguistically diverse teacher educators in Australia

This autoethnographic study explores how three culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) teacher educators construct and navigate their academic identities within Australian higher education. Through reflexive narratives, the authors examine how their cultural and linguistic backgrounds shape their teaching practices, institutional participation, and professional belonging. Drawing on Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital, Crenshaw’s intersectionality, and Critical Race Theory, the study situates personal experiences within broader structural and ideological contexts. Findings reveal three intersecting dynamics: the negotiation of identity within Eurocentric academic norms; the persistence of linguistic and racialised microaggressions; and the transformative potential of culturally responsive pedagogy. Despite systemic constraints, CALD educators demonstrate resilience and agency, using their cultural capital to foster inclusive and reflexive learning spaces. This study contributes to debates on diversity and inclusion by highlighting how CALD academics enact resistance and innovation in their pedagogical work. It calls for institutional recognition of diverse epistemologies and greater support for CALD educators’ leadership and advancement.