edited book: mindfulness in the academy
My dear friend and colleague Sharon McDonough and I have edited a book published by Springer called “Mindfulness in the academy: practices and perspectives from scholars”. It was released late August 2018 in both hard cover and e-book version.
Inside the book we have a curated over 20 international researchers who are interested in mindful practices within their research fields, and teaching practice while also exploring their own personal mindful practices. This is exciting! A great contribution to the field of mindfulness and indeed for university contexts whom are grappling with all sorts of contemporary pressures.
In this book, we explore the way that academics understand, embrace and enact the concepts of mindfulness in approaching their work in demanding and dynamic environments. As Berg & Seeber (2016) remind us, psychological wellness as scholars is an ethical imperative and is an essential component of self-care, thus preventing burnout, distress, and impairment. It is not something ‘extra’ or ‘nice to do’. Self-care is worthy of our attention.
What’s the book about?
Here’s a little sneak peak of the abstract…
In a complex and demanding higher education environment wellness for scholars is an ethical imperative and is an essential component of self care, required to prevent burnout, distress, and impairment. Berg & Seeber (2016) remind us it is not something ‘extra’ or ‘nice to do’; self care is worthy of our attention. As we navigate the contemporary higher education environment it is important to look at ways of working that bring to the forefront self care and mindfulness. In this book we explore how scholars understand and apply the concept of mindfulness in higher education contexts. We also examine ways academics implement mindfulness practices that build the capacity to accept, tolerate and transform mind and body states without reacting so intensively to them by drawing on concepts such as compassion, kindness, gratitude, curiosity, self awareness and non judgemental stances. This book explores the experiences and perspective of scholars globally in relation to their identities, practices, time management, strategic planning, and job enactment. We explore how mindful ways of researching, writing, learning and teaching, leading, and engaging with others leads us to be self-aware and engaged in the present. Through the lens of Erving Goffman’s (1959) notion of Dramaturgical Theory of Social Interaction, each chapter author explains their mindfulness practices and their motivations for implementing them. In the context of pressurised university schedules, significant changes in structure and policy, and pressure to research impacting on academic life (McAlpine & Åkerlind, 2010) listening to the voices of scholars illuminates insights and struggles.
Want to know more?
Sharon and I are so looking forward to bringing this book to you. The author team are pretty chuffed as well! So, if you want to know more, keep up to date with the progress, and be involved in the celebration of the publication, as well as possible meet ups and discussions then please share your details and we’ll be in touch soon. We promise to keep them confidential, and not spam you!