Sheila Trahar, University of Bristol   The back story Listening to Academic Voices: International Stories of the UK Experience, like all publications, has a story and, like the stories that its contributors tell, one that is chequered and multilayered. The story reflects the rapid changes that we are experiencing in … Read more →

Joanna Al-Youssef, University of Nottingham   The beginning When I volunteered to contribute to this publication, it struck me that I would be positioning myself face to face with a part of me I do not usually explore in depth or even take much notice of. I suddenly realised that … Read more →

Irene Macias, University of Bath   The pains of self-reflection It has taken me much longer than I anticipated starting this account. The reason for this is that having jumped at the chance to collaborate in this publication, and having been sparked by the meeting organised in March with all … Read more →

Ulrike Niens, Queen’s University Belfast   Reflecting on my experiences as an academic member of staff, who was not born in the UK but working in UK higher education, presented me with a number of challenges. For me it raised questions relating to identity, overlapping categories of inclusion and exclusion … Read more →

Terra Sprague, University of Bristol   Full disclosure I’m an American.  There, I said it.  Rather reluctantly, you see.  This is not an admission I make comfortably, though I am kidding myself if I think that it’s not obvious to others.  All I must do is open my mouth and … Read more →