Compositions of professionalism in counselling work: An embodied and embedded intersectionality framework

Abstract

This article explores the embodied compositions of professionalism in the context of the counselling psychology profession in Russia. Specifically, we develop an embodied intersectionality framework for theorizing compositions of professionalism, which allows us to explain how multiple embodied categories of difference intersect and are relationally co-constitutive in producing credible professionals, and, importantly, how these intersections are contingent on intercorporeal encounters that take place in localized professional settings. Our exploration of how professionalism and professional credibility are established in Russian counselling shows that, rather than assuming that a hegemonic ‘ideal body’ is given preference in a professional context, different embodied compositions may be deemed credible in various work settings within the same profession. An embodied intersectionality framework allows us to challenge the notion of a single professional ideal and offer a dynamic and contextually situated analysis of the lived experiences of professional privilege and disadvantage.

‘I’m a migrant, but I’m the right sort of migrant’: Hegemonic masculinity, whiteness, and intersectional privilege and (dis)advantage in migratory academic careers

“…This enabled flexibility between interviews, and for interviewees to raise issues of concern, including explicit discussions about gender, disadvantage and non‐work factors. Furthermore, this allowed for a qualitative understanding of lived experiences from an intersectional perspective (Adamson & Johansson, ; Dy et al, ).…”

“…Recent work has begun to reveal the usefulness of intersectionality as a lens to reveal privilege as well as oppression. Both Dy et al () and Adamson and Johansson () use intersectionality to understand patterns of advantage and disadvantage within forms of skilled employment. Specifically, though, there is a need to consider whiteness, and its relationships with other forms of privilege, through an intersectional lens (Levine‐Rasky, ).…”

“…For instance, gender, ethnicity and class intersect to inform the experiences of women entrepreneurs, even in the absence of visible markers of difference (Dy, Marlow, & Martin, 2017). Similarly, Adamson and Johansson (2016) have demonstrated the complexity of the embodied, gendered notions of what constitutes a credible professional worker. A supposed 'level playing field' at entry level to careers soon gives way to complex intersectional experiences of privilege and penalty as gendered and ethnically salient identity power dynamics take hold (Mooney, Ryan, & Harris, 2017).…”

The Institutionalization of Suffering: Embodied Inhabitation and the Maintenance of Health and Safety in E-waste Recycling

“…All this might suggest that it would have been difficult for Alison to share much in common with the waste workers, given that she apparently came from a very different world -of intellectualism and relative privilege -not to mention being a different sex. However, recent writing on 'embodied intersectionality' (Adamson & Johansson, 2016, p. 2205 cautions us not to overplay the monolithic significance of traditional social categories -such as gender, race, age and class. Doing so has the potential to obscure complex and subtle similarities and differences between and within seemingly quite different individuals, 'the compositions of which become salient in particular circumstances' (Adamson & Johansson, 2016, p. 2205 Alison's biography is not that of a 'typical middle-class academic'.…”

The Theory and Praxis of Intersectionality in Work and Organisations: Where Do We Go From Here?

“…In recent years a large body of work has emerged seeking to establish the conceptual boundaries of intersectionality (Anthias, 2013;Collins, 1993;Jordan-Zachery, 2007;Prins, 2006;Weldon, 2006) and its methodological and paradigmatic scope (Christensen and Jensen, 2012;Hancock, 2007aHancock, , 2007bMcCall, 2005;Syed, 2010;Walby et al, 2012;Winker and Degele, 2011). Similarly, the broad interdisciplinary reach of intersectionality is recognized in scholarly work that discusses its usefulness in geography, social policy, sociology, psychology, counselling, nursing, employment studies and industrial relations (Adamson and Johansson, 2016;Choo and Ferree, 2010;Cole, 2009;Davis, 2008;Durbin and Conley, 2010;Hunt et al, 2009;McBride et al, 2015;Mooney, 2016;Simien, 2007;Squires, 2009;Valentine, 2007;Van Herk et al, 2011). More recently, scholars have sought to expand intersectionality by linking it with other critical theoretical frameworks, such as postcolonial/transnational feminism, migration and mobility studies, and development studies (Anthias, 2012;Bastia, 2014;Chow et al, 2011;Dhamoon, 2015;Grosfoguel et al, 2015;Healy and Oikelome, 2011;Kim, 2007;Metcalfe and Woodhams, 2012;Mirza, 2013;Purkayastha, 2012).…”