Reducing Intellectual Poverty of Outsiders within Academic Spaces through Informal Peer Mentorship

Abstract

Academia is changing and a growing number of academics are finding themselves in non-tenure-track positions, experiencing increasing numbers of career transitions, or following alternative career trajectories. Academics in these positions often find themselves positioned as outsiders within their institutions and/or the broader academic community. In this article, the authors draw on narratives from eight members of an international peer mentoring group to examine the nature of being an outsider within academia, and the role that informal peer mentoring can play in reducing intellectual poverty for academics in outsider spaces. The findings illuminate the nature of intellectual poverty they experienced—including isolation and invisibility—lack of access to institutional knowledge, and lack of resources for professional development. The participants’ narratives also highlight the ways in which peer mentoring enhanced their professional development, allowed participants to access support beyond institutional and geographic boundaries, and provided social support and motivation to move forward in scholarly pursuits.