Reconstructing Identities in Higher Education by Celia Whitchurch

Reconstructing Identities in Higher Education by Celia Whitchurch

A ‘Third Space’ has emerged in higher education between professional and academic spheres in which lateral interactions, involving teams and networks, occur in parallel with formal institutional structures and processes. In turn this has led to demands for new forms of management and leadership.

Drawing on international studies that explore the roles and identities of those working in Third Space environments, this groundbreaking text provides an in-depth analysis of Third Space and the implications of its emergence for individuals and institutions. Interest in Third Space and those who occupy it has grown significantly across the world since the first edition of this text, with increasing numbers of roles crossing both professional and academic spheres. This second edition expands the research on which the original text was drawn and includes discussion of emergent Third Space roles in areas such as online and blended learning, diversity, equity and inclusion, and employability. Updated to take account of current literature and developments in the last decade, including the advent of AI, the text demonstrates how the concept of Third Space is at the same time both seductive and elusive. Despite gaining momentum, particularly among those who identify with Third Space, problems of definition, a lack of congruence with existing structures, and questions of recognition remain. Three new chapters discuss contemporary applications of Third Space to higher education, and ways in which universities can develop strategies that better recognise the contribution of those working in it.

The text is addressed to professional and academic staff who, by design or default, for long or short periods, find themselves working in Third Space environments; to those to whom such staff may be responsible, including senior management teams; and also to researchers interested in changing identities in higher education.

Celia Whitchurch is Honorary Associate Professor, UCL Institute of Education, University College London, UK.