The CV as a symbol of the changing nature of academic life: performativity, prestige and self-presentation

The effects of performativity in academic life are widely discussed and debated. Yet most analysis relies on conventional forms of empirical enquiry, notably interviews and questionnaires. The curriculum vitae (CV) is a comparatively neglected source of insight into the changing nature of academic life that offers a fresh insight. Drawing on the CVs of three generations of UK academics, this exploratory study analyses changing patterns of self-representation. While the CVs of scholars first academically active from the mid-1960s are largely a historical record, those of subsequent generations increasingly resemble a personal marketing tool. There has been an increase in the use of self-laudatory language, the presentation of evidence with respect to the impact of scholarship, and a shift in publication patterns towards the journal article. These trends, and others reported in this paper, appear to be related to the effects of performativity and contemporary understandings of academic prestige.