Footfalls and heart-prints for Indigenous inclusion

Abstract

Geographies of inclusion have largely been ignored in Management & Organization Studies (MOS), which tend to be encased within global white Western power over knowledge production. In this paper, I contribute to how non-Western contexts can serve as a counterpoint, yet avoid sharp dichotomies, concerning hegemonic Western discourse in geographies of inclusion. Through ethnography, I seek to provide some answers to the question: How does inclusion happen and how can it be theorised in non-Western contexts. Two central ideas of the paper are: 1. MOS can and should learn from non-Western contexts. Indigenous inclusion, specifically linked to Adivasis in India, illustrates how geographical contexts matter for theorising inclusion which can be enriched by examining non-Western contexts; and 2. Liberation theology through discernment and contemplative action, can provide insights and probe the possibilities of the nature of inclusion. I make no claim to a sole interpretation, rather I offer a guiding framework, grounded in an empirical contribution, for a nuanced understanding of Indigenous inclusion. My poignant hope is to invite other adaptations and traditions to further enrich and unveil understandings of geographies of inclusion for MOS.

Researching violent contexts: A call for political reflexivity

“…The practical application of these goals in relation to knowledge production is understandably complex and difficult, as there is no way to reverse the devastation caused by colonial violence and genocide against indigenous peoples and traditional forms of knowledge (Pio, 2021). Neither reparation nor liberation call for a return to some nostalgic imagined past, but seek emancipated futures based on the principle of radical equality.…”