Academic Rites of Passage: Reflection on a PhD Journey

Abstract

This paper discusses the experiences of academic development in the language of rites of passage. In this regard, rites of passage refer to a certain combination of stages to mark the development, directions and phases in an academic's journey. In other words, rites of passage mark a change or several social and intellectual changes that may represent the milestones of a junior academic's life in pursuing his or her matured or senior status. This paper aims to highlight and analyse PhD candidates’ experiences encountered as part of their liminal stages during their doctoral odyssey. We argue that by rethinking academic development and phases as rites of passage, new insights and understanding of the nature and personal academic development of junior academics could be addressed. Although there have been extensive foci on technical aspects of doctorate survival in terms of achieving good and successful PhD theses, there is a lacuna in academic knowledge which concentrates on PhD candidates’ personal experiences, particularly amongst Malaysian university scholars. Based on qualitative and reflective perspectives, this paper may shed light upon the invisible aspects of the challenges, motives and goals of PhD candidates that can be related to their career excellence, identity and survival in academia.