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“We publish open access as outsiders”: a Bourdieuan approach to understanding marginalised academics’ publishing community

Hao Xu

Journal of Professional Capital and Community

ISSN: 2056-9548

Article publication date: 5 December 2024

35

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the motivations and experiences of university academics who engage in open access publishing for survival and academic development.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs a multiple-case qualitative approach, drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of practice to investigate the activities and experiences of seven academics as they strived to publish in indexed open access journals. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and observation, focusing on the academics’ strategies for obtaining cultural capital.

Findings

Findings reveal that they viewed this publishing community more as an imagined or virtual community from which they could obtain cultural capital and seek the sense of belonging to compensate for the outsider identity and peripheral positioning within their institutions. The acquired cultural capital not only helped them feel more connected but also influenced their institutional status, as increased visibility and recognition from publishing successes began to alter how they were perceived within their professional environments, sometimes enhancing their standing but also occasionally reinforcing marginalisation.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a refined understanding of the motivations and experiences of academics engaged in open access publishing. It offers a unique perspective on the formation and functioning of non-institutional communities in academia, highlighting the role of cultural capital and identity negotiation in shaping these communities. Furthermore, it sheds light on the challenges and opportunities faced by academics seeking to publish open access and provides insights for institutions seeking to support their faculty in this endeavour.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The author wholeheartedly thanks the anonymous reviewers for their very constructive and informative feedback and suggestions!

Citation

Xu, H. (2024), "“We publish open access as outsiders”: a Bourdieuan approach to understanding marginalised academics’ publishing community", Journal of Professional Capital and Community, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-02-2024-0022

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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