Constructing discoursal scholarly identities in research writing over time and across space: A case study of Chinese transnational scholars

While interest in identity issues continues to grow in second language writing research, the construction of discoursal scholarly identity in research writing remains underexplored, particularly for transnational scholars. This case study, grounded in Ivanič’s (1998) framework of discoursal construction of writer identity, examined two Chinese transnational scholars’ perceptions and constructions of their discoursal scholarly identities in academic publishing over time and across space. Analysis of their self-identified representative works, relevant text histories, and reported writing experiences revealed that as the scholars’ academic experiences evolved, they developed a deeper understanding of discoursal scholarly identity, and negotiated an intended scholarly identity by navigating complex relationships with community members, rather than passively meeting gatekeepers’ expectations. While adapting to the local academic environment, they also leveraged international knowledge and resources to shape and develop their desired discoursal scholarly identity. Theoretically, these findings refine our understanding of discoursal identity construction in relation to concepts of time and space. Practically, the study provides pedagogical guidance to writing instructors and educators on how they could best support transnational and multilingual writers in developing their scholarly identities while navigating relationships with various stakeholders across different contexts and career stages.