This article examines the effects of political, socio-economic and educational change on a South African teacher’s identity
trajectory. Our research was conducted at a primary school in a historically disadvantaged community in the Western Cape
Province, South Africa. We applied a cultural-historical activity theoretical (CHAT) lens to explore the identity trajectory of
one of the teachers. Our findings suggest that a teacher’s identity is a social product, drawn from social history, actively
internalized and re-authored in response to new circumstances. This was especially evident during the transformation at the
macro-political, educational and institutional levels in South Africa since 1994.

doi: 10.15700/201503070012