In an age of increased mobility, there are increasing numbers of university teaching and research staff working in countries other than their birthplace, i.e., International Academics (IAs). These academics have been identified as one of the main players in the internationalisation of HE (Tekeen, 2006; Trahar and Hyland, 2011). Yet, the specific experiences and roles in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) has only recently started to receive focused attention in internationalisation research. Current research suggests a potential gap between the idealised role of IAs in HE and their actual experiences. The mobility of IAs from the Global South to the Global North raises the issues of inequities and inclusion (Morley et al., 2018), for instance. In the context of the UK, the role of IAs is particularly significant. Universities UK’s argument for the importance of internationalisation is supported by data showing a considerable presence of non-UK academics, with 74,070 international staff recorded in the academic year 2021-2022 (Universities UK, 2023). Despite this significant number, research exploring how IAs contribute to internationalisation within UK higher education institutions, beyond what is apparent, is limited (Minocha et al., 2018). 

This paper explores how IAs position themselves in their personal narratives focusing on their storylines at a Russell group University in the UK. The study aims to answer two main research questions: (1) What are the narrativised experiences of IAs at a UK Russell Group University? and (2) How do IAs position themselves in their narrations? The One specific institutional context was selected aligning to the understanding that internationalisation processes of HEIs vary widely, influencing the contexts in which IAs operate (Lomer et al., 2023). The study explores the construction of narrated international academic identities through the interplay of self-positioning and external positioning by others. In doing so, the study aims to voice individual experiences, reflecting the diverse personal and social reality of IAs, rather than generalisation of findings to all IAs.  

The starting point of this study was the narrativised experiences of IAs in the UK. Narrative interviews were conducted with eight non-UK academics, five from EU and three Non-EU countries. The participants were from a variety of disciplines, including STEM, business and social sciences in different career stages, all teaching and/or researching in a UK university. Most interviews, except one, were conducted online on zoom due to Covid-19 lockdown. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, and the data was analysed in two layers: narrative content (Lieblich et al., 1998) and positioning analysis (Harre et al., 2009; Kayi-Aydar, 2018). Narrative content analysis was used to understand IAs experiences and what meanings they ascribe to them. Lieblich et al’s holistic approach to content analysis was utilised to see the story as a whole considering the context and voice of the narrator. Through narrative content analysis, each IA's storylines were identified. Categorical content analysis was then used to identify the broad themes or categories in each storyline. Finally, the positioning triad- storylines, narrations and positions- were employed to identify the positionings of IAs. Narratives and positioning served as an analytical lens for understanding how IAs construct their identities, involving a process where they position themselves and are positioned by others, intentionally or unintentionally, in relation to self and the other, e.g. colleagues and the institution. Positions, as opposed to roles, are dynamic and emerge during narration. This positioning entails beliefs about themselves and others, often contradictory as they shift their way of thinking (Harre & van Langenhove, 1999). In the analysis, conflicts and contradictions helped the researcher to understand and interpret the narrations of IAs. Contradictions have been understood as IA’s way of constructing their narrated identities through negotiation of their positions. Through negotiation, IAs constructed their narrated identities by subtly or overtly resisting or conforming different narratives.

The initial findings offer a discussion, for instance, where an academic can overtly reject their international positioning by the institution and reposition themself as an IA to construct their narrated IA identity. These findings contribute to the discussion around envisioned internationalisation of institutions and the reality of those involved in the process. This study also contributes to the evolving discourse by acknowledging IAs not as part of significant statistics, but as individuals with unique and rich narratives. It echoes the ongoing efforts in the field that voices behind the numbers are heard, and nuanced realities are explored enriching the understanding of internationalisation in HE.

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