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The apparent absence of learners from the spaces and times of the institution is usually seen as a negative element of distance learning, positioning distance learners as other to the ‘norm’ of the present, on‐campus, traditional student. This paper explores the narratives of a group of distance learners, highlighting that these learners primarily see being outside the spaces and times of the university as an opportunity. Rather than creating a sense of otherness, it is regarded as giving a sense of control, allowing space and time in which to take up their studies alongside demanding jobs and caring roles.

Using a feminist post-structuralist framework of discursive analysis, this article explores the ways in which women academics with children are both positioned and positioning within the complex and often contradictory discourses surrounding the 'successful academic' and the 'good mother'. A biographical approach is taken to explore these discourses within the everyday experiences of Susan, an academic and mother. It is argued that while the intersection of these discourses--which are fluid and in process, rather than fixed and unchanging--creates conflict for mothers, not only within the academy but also in terms of their subjectivities outside of the academy, they can also provide sources of empowerment and potentially a space in which mothers can begin to consider the possibilities for new ways of being within the academy. Implications for the academic community and higher education institutions are discussed, with a particular focus on the development of a critical literacy.

Engaging the Curriculum in Higher Education. By Ronald Barnett and Kelly Coate. Pp. 190. Maidenhead: Open University Press and Society for Research into Higher Education. 2005. £23.99 (pbk), £65 (hbk). ISBN 0 335 21289 1 (pbk), 0 335 21290 5 (hbk).