Paradoxes of (E)quality and Good Will in Managing Diversity: A Dutch Case in the Philanthropic Sector

Ghorashi, Halleh; Carabain, C.L.; Szepietowska, Ewa Małgorzata

doi:10.1007/978-1-137-43825-6_5

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Non-private sector actors who have been part of the welfare system (e.g. mediators) may be strongly normalized by the moral component of the discourse of lack (helping the weak; Ghorashi et al , 2015). Yet, private sector actors’ (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caught between norm and difference: narratives on refugees’ inclusion in organizations

Ponzoni

Ghorashi

Raad³

2017

EDI

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Purpose In this study the authors show how discursive spaces both enable and constrain the inclusion of first-generation refugees. For this purpose the authors analyzed a triptych of narratives from first-generation refugees, employers, and mediators (mediating between organizations and job-seeking refugees). The authors adopted a critical studies approach, paying particular attention to the ways in which meanings are embedded within the normalizing discursive processes. The purpose of this paper is to show the maneuvering capacities of three different groups concerning the inclusion of first-generation refugees. Design/methodology/approach The data consist of a selected number of narratives from three groups of actors (refugees, mediators and employers) with the ambition of contrasting their discursive positionings. By including multiple positionings in the process, the authors aimed to reveal “the power effects of particular discursive formations,” which Alvesson et al. (2008) refer to as “positioning practices.” To investigate these patterns, the authors used in-depth interviews and employed an interpretive approach with the focus on the narrations of inclusion and exclusion. Findings The major constraint the authors discovered was that, in spite of the “good will” of all parties involved, the normalizing impact of the dominant discourses on migrants and refugees (discourse of lack) often works against other approaches (added value). This creates contradictory expectations toward refugees, limiting the possibilities of inclusion within organizations. The findings of this research show that diversity and inclusion can only be successful in conjunction with critical reflection that questions the taken-for-granted position of privileged groups as a norm reproduced by dominant societal discourses. Research limitations/implications In the light of growing urgency for the inclusion of refugees in the European context, it is crucial to rethink the notions of inclusion and exclusion from a critical perspective. The authors believe that the findings of the study could have implications which goes beyond the particular experiences presented in this study. Originality/value The authors conclude that diversity talk and practice which does not include reflection on the normalizing power of discourses of otherness does not have a chance of making a long-term impact on inclusion. Although there is a growing body of literature on this topic within critical organization studies, there has been no attention so far for the position of refugees in organizations which makes this paper both unique and urgent.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caught between norm and difference: narratives on refugees’ inclusion in organizations

Ponzoni

Ghorashi

Raad³

2017

EDI

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“…The prominence of this line of thinking, earlier referred to as the deficit approach, is strongly situated within the founding elements of the Dutch welfare state (Ghorashi et al , 2015). The welfare state developed with an increasing tendency towards the principle of equality, which resulted in discontent about existing inequalities (Lucassen, 2006).…”

Section: The Normalising Power Of the Dutch Discoursementioning

confidence: 99%

normalising power and engaged narrative methodology: refugee women, the forgotten category in the public discourse

Ghorashi¹

2021

Feminist Review

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Since the beginning of the 21st century, the discourse of othering of non-Western migrants has been growing in many European societies. And since 2015, refugees have become a quite visible component in this discourse. Although, for decades, the dominant image of refugees has been constructed as people ‘at risk’, new competing images of refugee men ‘as risk’ have recently gained ground. For refugee women, however, the image of being victims and ‘at risk’ still prevails. This shows a strong underlying gendered logic of feminine vulnerability and masculine threat. In this article, I show how these images are situated within the dominant Dutch discourse of migration with taken-for-granted taxonomies of the self and the other. Specific in this normalised discourse for refugee women is that their agency is either ignored or their possible position as activists is not acknowledged to exist. Using examples from two studies in which my research team engaged with the method of narrative engaged research, I show the importance of this particular narrative method in unsettling the normalising power of othering. The theoretical argument of this article engages with ongoing discussions on power and agency. It argues that, when the power of exclusion works through repetition and is manifested in the daily normalisation of actions, agency needs to provide an alternative in the same fluid manner. Narratives in dialogue provide an illuminating angle for discussing this specific kind of agency, as I will show through some examples from research.

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“…The reification of difference and sameness was based on a simplistic understanding of cultural diversity in which difference was equated with minority workers, or those "culturally diverse," and constituted a static, essentialized cultural Other inherently different from the "normal" Dutch Self (i.e., those qualifying as same). Thus, the reification of difference and sameness springing from the limited understanding of cultural diversity implied not only a dichotomy but also a hierarchical ordering of professionals at the workplace (Ghorashi & Sabelis, 2013;Ghorashi et al, 2015;Nkomo & Cox, 1996;Ostendorp & Steyaert, 2009;Zanoni et al, 2010). As this fundamental hierarchy formed the core of being (considered) professional, professionals had little space to criticize it or its consequences and, moreover, worked to normalize and reproduce it.…”

Section: Understanding a Structural Hierarchy Between Difference And Samenessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The lack of diversity in Dutch academic hospitals may be due to two factors: the Dutch culture's self-image as a society of equal opportunities, a tradition of social justice rhetoric combined with the "celebration" of tolerance for diversity (Ahmed, 2007;Essed, 2002;Heres & Benschop, 2010); and, more recently, the occurrence of polarized discourses that openly show racist tendencies (Essed & Hoving, 2014). Ghorashi, Carabain, and Szepietowska (2015) observed a general paradox in Dutch society of an expressed willingness to include diversity but the incapability to do so in practice, which they attribute to deeply rooted assumptions about cultural minorities as "the Other," who are seen as not only different but also not competent enough to meet the profile of the "normal employee." Thus, the Netherlands is an appropriate context for studying the empirical workings of structural factors for inclusion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“ We are all so different that it is just … normal .” Normalization practices in an academic hospital in the Netherlands

Leyerzapf

Verdonk

Ghorashi³

et al. 2018

Scandinavian Journal of Management

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Paradoxes of (E)quality and Good Will in Managing Diversity: A Dutch Case in the Philanthropic Sector

Cited by 5 publications

References 14 publications

Caught between norm and difference: narratives on refugees’ inclusion in organizations

Caught between norm and difference: narratives on refugees’ inclusion in organizations

normalising power and engaged narrative methodology: refugee women, the forgotten category in the public discourse

“ We are all so different that it is just … normal .” Normalization practices in an academic hospital in the Netherlands

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