Identity and inclusion in academia: voices of migrant women

Gender issues in academia continue to warrant attention. We are two women academics who migrated to Australia and who work at different universities in Melbourne, Australia. We are reflecting on our experiences of the social, political and intellectual realities of academic life, presenting ourselves as objects of research and analysing our stories in an iterative process of recorded conversations made over six months. Through dialogue, we construct a rhythm of duo-ethnographic exploration, hearing our voices as versions of ourselves, our truths and our place in the academic world. Ideally, this lens offers a nuanced account of self and identity, drawing on multiple accounts of what it has felt like and still feels like being an academic, and in such a way that an extended ethnography of that community may be heard. We create a community-building practice through which we can view the experiences of ‘the other’. We hope this story might open spaces for other migrant women academics to share their experiences and offer evidence of hope, whilst establishing an invitation to engage with women academic insiders and outsiders.