Embodied Identities at Work - International Workshop

 

Stockholm University School of Business, Stockholm, Sweden

6 May and 7-8 May 2013

 

Join us to critically interrogate the politics of embodiment, emotion and identity in contemporary work, organizations and markets! Although the increasing tolerance for sexual, cultural and ethnic diversity in organizational life might lead us to assume that embodied identities have ceased to matter, they continue to constitute sites of oppression, exploitation and discrimination as well as media of power, resistance and lived experience. From stratified statistics on labour markets and corporate board representation (e.g. Equality & Human Rights Commission 2008; GMI Ratings 2012; International Trade Union Confederation 2012; Statistics Sweden 2012), it is obvious that gender and ethnicity inter alia continue to constitute sources of disadvantage and privilege. But whereas several studies have been significant in construing employee identity as a general object of regulation and exploitation (e.g. Alvesson & Willmott 2002; Marks & Thompson 2010) or as a common subject of coping and resistance (e.g. Fleming & Sewell 2002), less attention has been given to the various ways in which particular embodied identities are embedded in organizational politics. Building on the vibrant yet still marginalized work conducted in this area (e.g. Linstead & Pullen 2006; Tyler & Cohen 2010), this workshop therefore attempts to:

·         explore how a diversity of identities in work, organizations and markets are felt and embodied, experienced and expressed

·         examine the limits of embodied identity expression at work and how such limits are produced and maintained, challenged and subverted

·         interrogate the economic logic and labour process which surrounds embodied identities under contemporary capitalism

Confirmed speakers and commentators include:

Dr Kate Kenny (National University of Ireland), Prof. David Knights (Stockholm University School of Business and Swansea University), Dr Robert McMurray (University of Durham), Prof. Alison Pullen (Swansea University) , Prof. Carl Rhodes (Leicester University), Dr Natasha Slutskaya (Brunel University), Dr Kate Sullivan (Lund University), Prof. Melissa Tyler (University of Essex) and Prof. Ali Yakhlef (Stockholm University).

Group sessions:
During the workshop there will also be two interactive group sessions to boost participants’ opportunity to explore joint interests and areas for further research and to discuss the methodological, empirical and theoretical challenges of studying embodied identities at work.

Practicalities:

Venue: Stockholm University (Kräftriket campus), Stockholm.

Dates: Tuesday May 7^th (9am till late) and Wednesday May 8th (9am-5pm).

The workshop is free of charge if attending. A no-show or cancellation after the registration deadline will be charged with SEK 1,000. Substitutes are welcome.

Registration deadline: February 28th. For registration or any other practical issues please contact Janet Johansson on jj@fek.su.se or Markus Walz on mwa@fek.su.se. The number of participants is limited.

Doctoral workshop:
The ordinary workshop is preceded by a one-day doctoral workshop on Monday May 6^th, chaired by Prof. David Knights and Prof. Torkild Thanem. The doctoral workshop is particularly designed for PhD students in their 2^nd and 3^rd year. Participants are expected to stay for all three days and the number of participants is limited. Submit a 250 words synopsis of your doctoral project when applying.

Organizing committee:
Torkild Thanem, Janet Johansson and Markus Walz, Stockholm University School of Business.