The teaching self in the university: Self-positions and voices in the narrative identity/ies construction of university teachers

The notions of I-positions and voices are proposed as analytical tools for studying how two university teachers use both of these narrative resources to construct and negotiate possible professional identities. The aim of this paper is to answer three questions based on the analysis of semi-structured autobiographical interviews: What I-positions and voices can be identified in academics' narratives about their professional practice? How are these resources related? How do these narratives contribute to the construction of their professional identities? We develop a conception of identity as a continuous and evolving narrative in which the self is constituted as a multiple, dynamic and constantly in negotiation reality from which individuals define who they are. Two interviews are analyzed. Here, the interplay of the different positions adopted by the participants in the interviews, as well as the voices that articulated these positions, are examined in terms of its source or level of generality. We conclude that the professional identities of these experts in education are being constructed in a specific cultural and ideological context. Finally, both benefits and limitations of the current investigation are discussed with regard to possible future studies.