The Intercultural Situations Workshop: Indirect Ethnography and the Paradox of Difference

White, Bob W.; Grégoire, A; Gouin-Bonenfant, Mathilde

doi:10.1080/07256868.2022.2041579

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Appropriate observation or detection methods for more effective workplace interventions could then be designed and implemented [30,33]. From an ethnographic point of view, the remedy may involve identifying and systemically analysing problematic situations in which all the elements can be identified and at their respective levels, as has been done in the analysis of intercultural situations workshops [100]. In this sense, situation-based workshops can be a good way of introducing and encouraging reflective practice.…”

Section: Hierarchical Structure Bureaucracy and The Power Dimensionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Reflection on Paradoxes and Double Binds in the Workplace in the Era of Super-Diversity

Côté

2023

Humans

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Occupational health and safety (OHS) is a largely technical field, still guided by a biomedical model of health that seeks to isolate factors that cause injury. Despite a growing literature on organisational and managerial factors influencing occupational health, their full integration into the OHS concept has been slow. A broader understanding is still needed to recognise the restructuring of work and the link between well-being at work and management style. In the context of a rapidly changing world of work, increasing workforce diversity, and inequality, OHS needs to take account of the social sciences and humanities to broaden its reductionist vision. Occupational illnesses, distress, and suffering, especially in relation to relational or organisational issues, have no initial cause or specific ontology; they result from a long-standing process or repetitive relational pattern that needs to be exposed and understood in greater depth, considering contextual factors and dynamics. Using the authors’ anthropological backgrounds and the basic principles of the double bind theory developed many decades ago by Gregory Bateson and his colleagues at the Palo Alto School of Communication, we propose a reflection on pragmatic paradoxes or double bind situations in the workplace (which can be briefly defined as the presence of contradictory or conflicting demands or messages), their potential impact on workers’ health and well-being, and how to resolve them. This paper sought to explore the world of pragmatic paradoxes and double binds by discussing different categories, types, or forms of paradoxes/double binds that occur in the context of occupational health and their underlying mechanisms. It also includes a discussion of the possible link to the concept of super-diversity, as it too is associated with migration channels, employment, gendered flows, and local systems. Finally, we discuss the practical implications of this understanding for health professionals, researchers, and policymakers, from a perspective of promoting more holistic and context-sensitive interactional approaches to occupational health.

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Section: Hierarchical Structure Bureaucracy and The Power Dimensionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Reflection on Paradoxes and Double Binds in the Workplace in the Era of Super-Diversity

Côté

2023

Humans

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“…In some cases, participants will discuss among themselves to find the best way to name the variable and in the case of multiple variables (see the examples below) there will often be discussion to better discern between the different variables identified, including the question of how to prioritize them. The process of centering, which is "the conscious consideration of our own traditions and frames of reference" [7], makes it possible to better understand what aspect of a participant's identity is activated by the situation they are describing. This process can take some time and we noticed that participants from the majority group (in this case white francophone Canadians) can have a hard time naming cultural variables because they do not automatically think about themselves as being part of cultural diversity in their city or society [43].…”

Section: Cultural Variables and Prejudicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The self-reflexive group-based activity described above is an important part of what we have referred to as "indirect ethnography": a new methodology for eliciting and analyzing ethnographic data about intercultural situations in rapidly diversifying urban settings [7]. This methodology has proved to be effective in settings where participants are motivated to describe and analyze the situations they have experienced in their everyday lives as citizens or in the context of their professional activities.…”

Section: Intercultural Situations and The Dilemma Of Differencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…As we had hoped, the act of identifying cultural variables led many participants to reflect on the norms and practices in their own communities (what we have referred to as "centering") and this very simple act of comparison in many cases led to a re-examination of socially accepted norms in the context of super-diversity. In fact, as the workshops have evolved, we have begun to talk about the identification of cultural variables as a key competency for professionals who work in multi-ethnic settings [7].…”

Section: Searching For the Right Wordsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following the discovery of what we refer to as "indirect ethnography", the ISW methodology was tested with local social actors, not only professionals and researchers but also through contact with everyday residents and citizens. This methodology has been the subject of several scientific articles on the dynamics of cohabitation in multi-ethnic settings [7]. Indirect ethnography enables us to identify data that is both more targeted and broader than traditional ethnographic fieldwork, because participants are asked to describe situations experienced in everyday life or at work, and because they are involved in a large number of territories as well as sectors of activity and intervention.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Talking about Difference: Cross-Cultural Comparison and Prejudice in Anthropology and Beyond

White,

Gouin-Bonenfant,

Grégoire

2023

Humans

Self Cite

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In recent years, the question of “difference” has become a central feature of public debate and social concern, especially in the context of transnational migration. The underlying question that we attempt to answer in this article is: how can we talk about difference without reinforcing prejudice? Starting from the observation that perceptions and representations of difference have an impact on the way that individuals and groups interact with each other in increasingly diverse urban environments, we argue that a systemic approach to the analysis of intercultural situations gives us a unique window into emerging discourses and evolving norms about difference. After a brief historical overview of debates surrounding cross-cultural comparison in anthropology, we consider how various fields outside of anthropology have drawn inspiration from anthropology in order to gain a deeper understanding of intercultural dynamics in various professional settings. This article also examines several anthropological concepts that have been used as tools to theorize cross-cultural comparison, and how participants in a new research methodology use the systemic notion of “cultural variables” to resolve the basic paradox underlying pluralist philosophy and practice.

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Are Healthcare Systems Failing Immigrants? Transnational Migration and Social Exclusion in the Workers’ Compensation Process in Québec

Côté

White

Dubé

et al. 2023

International Migration Review

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Background: The changing world of work, which increasingly depends on the use of temporary and atypical forms of employment, has had a disproportionate effect on the health and well-being of immigrants. When they have to find a health professional for the first time or report an accident at work, the journey through the maze of medical-administrative bureaucracy can be long and arduous. The aim of this article is to describe the analytical contribution of systems thinking by presenting three situations that illustrate the importance of connecting the individual, organizational, and societal levels, especially focusing on the interplay between these levels. Methods: The data analyzed in this article are taken from an initial qualitative exploratory study of a purposive sample of 40 individuals: (1) clinicians ( N = 15), (2) claims consultants and rehabilitation counselors ( N = 14), (3) employers ( N = 2), and (4) immigrant workers ( N = 9). Situations were analyzed using insights from grounded theory by identifying the interconnectedness of individual, organizational, and system-based factors that can have an impact on the return-to-work process. Results: By looking specifically at the context of occupational rehabilitation in contemporary Québec and the challenges faced by immigrant workers faced with multiple factors of precariousness, this article sets out to show how local healthcare systems are poorly equipped to respond to the new reality of transnational migration. Conclusion: Drawing from recent research in the area of systemic theory, this article posits that systems, which are poorly adapted to the new reality of transnational migration, have the unintended consequence of creating new forms of discrimination and social exclusion.

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The Intercultural Situations Workshop: Indirect Ethnography and the Paradox of Difference

Cited by 6 publications

References 33 publications

A Reflection on Paradoxes and Double Binds in the Workplace in the Era of Super-Diversity

A Reflection on Paradoxes and Double Binds in the Workplace in the Era of Super-Diversity

Talking about Difference: Cross-Cultural Comparison and Prejudice in Anthropology and Beyond

Are Healthcare Systems Failing Immigrants? Transnational Migration and Social Exclusion in the Workers’ Compensation Process in Québec

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