Embracing the Messiness: A PhD Journey to an Embodied Academic Voice

Abstract

To engage in academic work is to step into a space where transitions—between identities, ways of knowing, and academic expectations—are inevitable and necessary. This piece reflects my journey as a PhD candidate, singer, and educator, exploring the quest for an embodied academic voice. It examines how voice—both literal and metaphorical—shapes learning spaces and how performative and embodied knowledge contribute to inclusive academic environments and communities.

This work is a revised version of my PhD oral defense, completed in 2023. I share it to inspire other PhD candidates and scholars to explore alternative ways of creating knowledge where embodied ways of knowing are central. Drawing from new materialisms and feminist theory, I argue that academic voices are relational, porous, and in flux rather than static or singular. Through storytelling, I reflect on moments of struggle, discovery, and transformation, engaging in dialogues with both theory and personal experience to encourage holistic and inclusive learning spaces.