Identity Construction and Negotiation in Academic Discourse: Investigating Disciplinary Identities

The study presented in this book focuses on a corpus of papers published as part of the proceedings of the European Academy of Management (EURAM) International Conference in order to explore the ways in which specific linguistic resources allow the mediation between the adherence to specific rules linked to the specialised language of Academic Discourse (more specifically, Academic Business English) and the discursive identity cues that are indicative of given forms of self-expression of the individual within disciplinary boundaries. In other words, the present corpus-based investigation focuses on tensions between the specialised community's expectations for members to display proximity and adherence to given rules and conventions, and the individual scholars' desire to claim their own agency and express their unique identity. Drawing on previous research on the expression of identity in academic genres (Bondi, 1999; Matsuda, 2002; De Montes et al., 2002; Garzone, 2004; Biber, 2006; Crawford Camiciottoli, 2007; Tessuto, 2008; Englander, 2009; Kirkup, 2010; Hyland, 2011, 2012a, 2012b; Olinger, 2011; Zareva, 2013; Flowerdew and Wang, 2015; Balirano and Rasulo, 2019), this study further investigates the interplay between linguistic resources, adherence to disciplinary rules, and individual self-expression. Specifically, by examining this corpus, the study aims to uncover how specific linguistic resources mediate the tension between adhering to the specialised language and conventions of Academic Discourse, particularly in the field of Business English, and the cues that indicate individual self-expression. In other words, the research delves into the complex dynamics between the expectations of the specialised community for members to conform to established rules and conventions, and the scholars' desire to assert their agency and express their unique identities within their academic work.