Emerging Neoliberal Academic Identities: Looking Beyond Homo economicus

Abstract In this article, I deal with the notion of ‘academic identity’ holistically, seeking to bring together teacher and researcher roles academics in neoliberal university. The article begins from perspective early-career who occupy majority fixed-term, teaching-only contracts Higher Education, arguing that such casualisation academic labour entrenches role as Homo economicus . Drawing on work Foucault, demonstrate how a governmentality is now not only exerted upon without, but increasingly they are subjecting themselves logic efficiency effectiveness too. university thus influences shapes subjectivities, what it means be an confined marketised logic. Despite pressures placed ‘produce’ measurable outputs their impact, argue moving beyond possible, instead for re-claiming ‘the academic’ academicus idea can supported when three conditions present: collegiality afforded greater importance than competition; discourses ‘productivity’ performativity balanced against simply ‘doing good well’ (Pirrie Virtue quiet art scholarship, Routledge, London, 2019), and; mindful practice ‘quieter’ intellectual virtues, including virtue ‘unknowing’ (Smith J Philos Educ 50:272–284, 2016).