Who do you think you are? Enmeshing personal, teaching and research identities in feminist work – the personal is still political.

In the world of academia, who we are as individuals, the values we have and our purpose for working in education can be central to how we understand our roles, responsibilities and selves. Alongside values and purpose, a lifetime of embodied experiences can influence our view of the world, our thoughts about our lives, and how we formulate our ethics to counteract dominant forms of neoliberal higher education. During my time as a PhD student and then an academic I have found understanding my self-identity and how it fits with and shapes my academic work essential. I have developed this understanding by engaging with a range of academic writers, but find I often return to selected feminist writers and Antonio Gramsci to position myself. This work is familiar to me and I feel I ‘know’ the writers through their work. I have utilised this writing at various points over the past twenty years within my teaching and research. In this chapter I will explore the work of a number of key writers who have influenced my sense of self. I will also reflect upon how this work has shaped the teacher, researcher and person I am today.