Abstract
AbstractThe rise of the corporate profession has contributed to a more varied and ambiguous professional terrain that is increasingly seen to be indeterminate and fluid. This paper advances the current debate around the development of corporate professions, exploring how practitioners respond to this environment. Drawing on research with public relations practitioners, the paper shows how the idea of being a liminar facilitates the formation of a professional identity in conditions of high indeterminacy. In taking an individual level of analysis of professions, the paper suggests that indeterminacy is a more resonant feature for corporate professionals than previously suggested in the research, but that this indeterminacy is navigated in professional identity construction through ‘being a liminar’, and thus greater nuance may need to be recognized in the conceptualization of both corporate professions and corporate professionalization. It also demonstrates the use of liminality as a discursive resource in identity construction and with it, challenges the common association of liminality with self‐doubt and existential anxiety. In turn, the paper considers the implications of the liminal professional identity for the future of contemporary professions, and for understanding the liminal experience.
Highlights
It responds to calls for more studies on occupations at this level (Anteby, Chan and DiBenigno, 2016), demonstrating a potential for greater indeterminacy to be experienced by some corporate professionals than so far considered, and with it, a more nuanced appreciation of corporate professions and corporate professionalization that could impact the wider appreciation of the contemporary professional landscape
The paper is organized in four sections: the first examines the literature on contemporary professions, liminality and liminal identities; the second provides details as to how the study was conducted; the third outlines public relations (PR) practitioners’ talk around being a liminal professional; and the fourth considers the implications of a professional liminal identity, indicating how the research contributes to an understanding of corporate professionalism and liminal identities
The paper demonstrates the appeal of a liminal professional identity in the context of corporate professionalism
Summary
The rise of the corporate profession has contributed to a more varied and ambiguous professional terrain that is increasingly seen to be indeterminate and fluid. In taking an individual level of analysis of professions, the paper suggests that indeterminacy is a more resonant feature for corporate professionals than previously suggested in the research, but that this indeterminacy is navigated in professional identity construction through ‘being a liminar’, and greater nuance may need to be recognized in the conceptualization of both corporate professions and corporate professionalization. It demonstrates the use of liminality as a discursive resource in identity construction and with it, challenges the common association of liminality with self-doubt and existential anxiety. The paper considers the implications of the liminal professional identity for the future of contemporary professions, and for understanding the liminal experience
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