Navigating the theory–practice divide

Abstract Drawing on a case study of media technology, this article addresses theory–practice conflict in an educational work setting. This conflict is expressed in employment contracts and career opportunities and in how professional identity is made. We demonstrate how ideas about practical and theoretical knowledge are negotiated in the academic career system, as well as made on different organisational levels and at intersections with multiple factors such as gender and precarious work conditions. The study is based on a collective memory-work and content analysis of policy documents and communication material. Our results highlight a dissonance between symbolic discourse about practice-based education, as highlighted in external communications, and the academic career system in which theoretical knowledge is more highly valued, as demonstrated in teachers’ positions and assignments.