Opening up spaces for researching multilingually in higher education

Abstract

This paper considers the experiences of a PhD student researcher grappling with a highly complex project. We examine a number of issues relating to teaching in the multilingual university and question the powerful role of English in the PhD journey. We focus on the implications of relying on English academic resources, the problem of the predominance of English in research and publications, and the supervisee–supervisor relationships (including the development of academic voice). We have chosen to present our paper in the form of a conversation (supervisee–supervisor) to help highlight the issues which came to light not only in the student’s experience but also how these were seen or understood by both people in this academic relationship. Following the exploration of these issues, we shall challenge readers to consider the relevance of the issues for the higher education context, and consider opportunities for ‘doing things differently’.