Care in the academy: How our online writing group transformed into a caring community

Authors

Martina Costello, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Julie Nyanjom, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Susan Bailey, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Deb Ireson, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

International Journal of Educational Research

Volume

127

Publisher

Elsevier

School

School of Nursing and Midwifery / School of Arts and Humanities

RAS ID

72548

Comments

Costello, M., Nyanjom, J., Bailey, S., & Ireson, D. (2024). Care in the academy: How our online writing group transformed into a caring community. International Journal of Educational Research, 127, 102441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2024.102441

Abstract

This study explores the challenges academics face in prioritising their writing and research activities within the neoliberal academy. Using a collaborative autoethnography methodology, including verbatim transcriptions of recorded meetings and personal reflections as data, we explore the processes and strategies employed within an interdisciplinary online writing community. The findings highlight that collaborative, supportive online writing groups, when underpinned by an ethics of care, can effectively address the dehumanising aspects of the neoliberal academy without compromising productivity. This study concludes that it is possible to create real communities of care whilst simultaneously meeting the individualistic demands imposed by the academy.

DOI

10.1016/j.ijer.2024.102441

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.