The professional identities of teachers are fundamental to their understanding of how to be and how to act in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Professional identities have emerged as a key consideration both in policy and scholarship as a result of growing political interest in ECEC and the work of teachers. When we first called for papers for a special issue on teacher identities, it was in the context of a global neoliberal policy-scape dominated by ideas about the social and economic benefits of investing in ECEC, as well as free-market and entrepreneurial discourses. Specifically, our intention was to engage in a collective and cross-national conversation that problematised prevailing discourses, examined intersections with local concerns and policy priorities, and their shifting and ongoing influences on professional identities. The complexities associated with neoliberal discourse in ECEC have surfaced more urgently in the context of a global Covid-19 pandemic. In many countries, ECEC teachers have been positioned as essential workers supporting ongoing economic activity during the pandemic, sometimes at the same time as schools and tertiary institutions have remained closed. ECEC work has become more entrenched in economic narratives that position the purpose of ECEC as supporting work-force participation, child wellbeing, and family support. These new and unexpected contexts also shape teacher identities. The tensions present in current policy constructions of teachers and intersections with emergency measures present new opportunities to govern teachers and practice in particular ways. These materialise in teachers’ daily experiences, work conditions, and wellbeing. A current narrative about the pandemic includes the idea of not letting the crisis go to waste, and we agree that it is important to use this moment to re-think and problematise teacher identities across educational contexts and to encourage critical conversations about what we do, why we do it and who benefits.

中文翻译：

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关于幼儿时代空间中教师身份的跨国对话：呼吁建立联盟，倡导和行动

教师的专业身份对于他们了解儿童早期教育和照料方式以及如何采取行动至关重要（ECEC）。由于对ECEC和教师工作的政治兴趣与日俱增，因此，职业身份已成为政策和学术领域的主要考虑因素。当我们第一次要求针对教师身份的特别期刊发表论文时，它是在全球新自由主义政策背景下进行的，其中以投资ECEC的社会和经济利益以及自由市场和企业家话语的思想为主导。具体来说，我们的意图是进行集体和跨国对话，以使流行的话语成问题，研究与地方关注和政策优先事项的交汇处，以及它们对职业身份的转移和持续影响。在全球Covid-19大流行的背景下，与ECEC中的新自由主义话语相关的复杂性已更加迫切地浮出水面。在许多国家/地区，ECEC的教师已被定位为支持大流行期间正在进行的经济活动的重要工人，有时在学校和大专院校关闭的同时。ECEC的工作已在经济叙述中更加根深蒂固，这些经济叙述将ECEC的目标定位为支持劳动力参与，儿童福祉和家庭支持。这些新的和出乎意料的环境也塑造了教师的身份。当前的教师政策建设中的紧张局势以及采取紧急措施的十字路口，为以特殊方式管理教师和实践提供了新的机会。这些体现在教师的日常经验，工作条件和福祉中。