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Part of
Identity Struggles: Evidence from workplaces around the world
Edited by Dorien Van De Mieroop and Stephanie Schnurr
[Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture 69] 2017
► pp. 127–146

Chapter 7
You’re a proper tradesman mate

Identity struggles and workplace transitions in New Zealand

Using a broad and inclusive definition of what counts as a professional, this paper explores the struggle of developing an appropriate identity as part of the transition from legitimate outsider to workplace insider. Drawing on naturally-occurring data from two contrasting contexts, an apprentice on a building site and an intern in a corporate organisation, we explore inbound trajectories. For the builder, the transition to insider involves a process which emphasises new skills; for the intern, her status as a newcomer to the country means her struggles with the enactment of sociocultural norms are made salient. Our analysis demonstrates the ways in which the defining boundaries of professional behaviour are acknowledged, maintained, patrolled and defended in interaction.

Keywords: transitions, workplace discourse, boundary crossing, social realism, apprentice, intern, socio-cultural norms, contextual constraints, identity negotiation, builder, humour, co-construction, gate-keeping, New Zealand
Article outline
  • Professional identities
    • Identity as a site of struggle
  • Exploring authentic interaction
  • Identity struggles at work
    • The apprentice builder
    • From intern to co-worker
  • Professional identity across contexts
    • Acknowledging and maintaining the boundaries
    • Patrolling and defending the boundaries
  • Implications and conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Appendix
  • References
Published online: 26 April 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.69.07hol
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