Rhizomatic Research Cultures, Writing Groups and Academic Researcher Identities

As interdisciplinary research becomes increasingly common in universities, new types of research culture appear to be developing. The doctoral students undertaking studies in this research climate are themselves increasingly diverse (Gardner, Jansujwicz, Hutchins, Cline, & Levesque, 2012; Pearson, Cumming, Evans, Macauley, & Ryland, 2011), coming into their studies from nontraditional pathways, from a variety of disciplinary and professional backgrounds, as well as from a range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Informed by interview data collected from members of doctoral writing groups, this article outlines the academic researcher identities these diverse students need to develop in order to operate effectively within rhizomatic research cultures. By considering this through the lens of Deleuze and Guattari's (1980/1988) model of rhizomatic knowledge structures, we can begin to understand how the contemporary research environment values heterogeneous, non-hierarchical, networked styles of work on research projects. The article proposes that multidisciplinary doctoral writing groups offer experiences that enable researchers to embrace the qualities of flexibility, multiplicity, collegiality, and connection and that these qualities will be of benefit to students in the current research environment. Keywords: academic identities, doctoral writing groups, rhizomatic knowledge, interdisciplinarity, research cultures