Imagined professional identity: A narrative inquiry into a Chinese teacher’s perezhivaniya in life

Abstract This narrative inquiry revolves around the changing professional identities of Ping, an experienced Chinese teacher. The concept “perezhivanie” is employed as a holistic unit of analysis for probing the interconnectedness between the intellectual-rational and the social-political facets of professional identity. Using narrative inquiry both as a method and a form, three images reveal Ping’s construction of her teacher identities. The analysis foreshadows the impact of Ping’s dramatic series of perezhivaniya on becoming and being a teacher. The concept of an “imagined professional identity” emerges from Ping’s accounts, with significant implications for teacher education and reform-related policies in a transforming society.