Site parade

Recent surveys showing LGBT professionals’ heightened experience of homophobia on building site visits can be considered in the context of a growing body of literature on the gender and sexual identity in construction work. This analysis offers a theoretical perspective on the practical issues, examining the embodied nature of professionalism and the performative nature of the construction site visit: an instance where an intertwined personal/professional identity is on parade, confronting the dominant identities of the site, and thus itself challenged. The work draws on Goffman’s theories of social interaction and the works of Bourdieu on the nature of practice.

Rethinking Professional Practice: The Logic of Competition and the Crisis of Identity in Housing Practice

The relationship between professionalism, education and housing practice has become increasingly strained following the introduction of austerity measures and welfare reforms across a range of countries. Focusing on the development of UK housing practice, this article considers how notions of professionalism are being reshaped within the context of welfare retrenchment and how emerging tensions have both affected the identity of housing professionals and impacted on the delivery of training and education programmes. The article analyses the changing knowledges and skills valued in contemporary housing practice and considers how the sector has responded to the challenges of austerity. The central argument is that a dominant logic of competition has culminated in a crisis of identity for the sector. Although the focus of the article is on UK housing practice, the processes identified have a wider relevance for the analysis of housing and welfare delivery in developed economies.