Algeria's recent linguistic policy reform, shifting higher education from French to English, has reshaped academic practice and identity. University teachers from diverse domains, including biology, economics, and social sciences, were invited to embark on English learning so they could use it as a medium of instruction. Amidst this national shift, it becomes necessary to explore how university teachers, particularly females, navigate reform through identity and agency. This study draws on semistructured interviews with five participants (N = 5), conducted in both English and Arabic, and then examined through reflexive thematic analysis. Findings highlight how agency among female academics was shaped by intersecting factors, including family support, motherhood roles, and professional aspirations. Uneven institutional access emerged, with some participants benefiting from supportive networks while others faced constraints. Despite challenges, participants viewed English as both symbolic and practical capital, enhancing academic visibility and empowerment. The reform thus operates not only as a linguistic shift but also as a sociocultural transformation, reshaping identity, agency, and access to learning. By centering female voices, the study contributes to African scholarship on teacher identity and offers insights for designing discipline–sensitive and equitable language policy initiatives in higher education.
Houda Zouar (Fri,) studied this question.