This essay is a response to the third biennial conference showcasing research and scholarship on academic identities held at the University of Auckland, New Zealand in July 2012. The first conference, with the theme of "academic identities in crisis", was held at the University of Central Lancashire in 2008; the second, "academic identities in the 21st century", was held in 2010 at the University of Strathclyde. The third, entitled Screaming in a 20-mile zone: Academic Identities in 2014 will take place next year on 8-9 July at Durham University, UK.