From 'Doing' to 'Knowing': Becoming academic

In this article I present an overview of my observations and experiences as a 'new' academic, and reflect upon these within the broader context of theorizing about power, knowledge and expertise. There are, I believe, connections to be drawn between my experiences-of my discomfort with the identity 'academic' and my struggles to recognize myself as an academic-and conventional understandings of what properly constitutes credible and reputable academic knowledge. Although this is, at least in part, a profoundly personal exercise in reflection, it has wider implications in terms of the intersections between academia and professional practice, which, I argue, are critical to the future viability of social work as a strong, dynamic and distinct profession.