Gender, Work and Organization
5th international interdisciplinary conference, 27th–29th June 2007
Call for Abstracts:
Gender as a Social Practice
Stream Convenors:
Attila Bruni, University of Trento, Italy
Elisabeth Kelan, London School of Economics, UK
Julia Nentwich, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
Barbara Poggio, University of Trento, Italy
For researchers on gender and organisations, seeing gender as a social
process may seem as yesterday’s news. However, the essentialist conception
of “men” and “women” as biological or characteristics within the person
have only recently (and not always) been superseded by constructionist
ideas. The constant redefining and negotiating of gender and its meanings
in everyday practices has become one of the major foci of research on
gender in organisations. Although “gender as a social practice” has been
researched widely and Gender, Work and Organization has already published
a special issue on “theorizing gender as practice” (Vol. 13, issue 6,
2006), and also the term “doing gender” is cited abundantly in
publications, there are still many open questions when both theorising the
“doing” of gender and studying it empirically.
There are broadly two different bodies of theory treating gender as a
social process. Firstly, the sociological tradition developed by
ethnomethodological and interactionist approaches. Here doing gender is
conceptualised as a routine accomplishment in social (and organizational)
interactions. Empirical work focuses on everyday practices, showing how
gender is created and re-created in situated activities. The second theory
derives from feminist debate and, in particular, Judith Butler’s work.
Drawing mainly on poststructural theories, she develops a critical
genealogy of gender categories in which she explores why gender is
perceived as something stable even though it has to be enacted in specific
and different situations. A central concept here is that of
“performativity”: Butler sees performing as a “doing” in the sense that it
constitutes a “being” that constructs a specific subject position.
Empirically, studies try to deconstruct the gender practices underlying
social interactions, focusing on the discourses drawn upon when
constructing a gendered identity.
Both approaches conceptualise gender as an ongoing activity or a ‘doing’
within everyday life. Organisational researchers have been at the
forefront of adopting such ‘doing gender’ concepts and developing them
further for research on gender at work. However, the “theory of practice”
Connell demanded (1987:61) to get a “grip on the interweaving of personal
life and social structure” has not yet been elaborated. Moreover, it would
be important to reflect on the empirical and methodological implications
of the ‘practice turn’ in gender research. If gender is conceptualised as
something fluid and flexible, research practices have to be able to grasp
the processuality and complexity of the different organizational dynamics
and subjectivities.
In order to continue the debate on gender as a social practice, in this
stream we would like to discuss three interwoven themes. Firstly, on which
new approaches can researchers draw to study gender as a social process?
Secondly, how has gender as a social practice been researched empirically?
And thirdly, what new methods and suggestions could be applied to studying
it? In order to explore some of these issues we welcome theoretical and
empirical contributions seeking to look at gender as a social practice.
The stream is intended to provide a forum for debating gender as a social
practice in research on organisations and to put forward the idea that
doing gender (and doing it differently) is also a matter of organizational
practices. Papers may address, but are not restricted to, the following
questions:
· Is ‘doing gender’ just a trendy term or does it help to theorise
gender in alternative ways?
· How similar or different are the theoretical traditions and
concepts drawn upon in organisational research?
· What could be empirical examples for gender as a social process?
· What aspects and processes are investigated when gender as a
social process is studied?
· What are the methodological implications of studying gender a
social practice for organizational theory and
· research?
· What methods and techniques can be used to research gender as a
social practice?
· How do gender practices influence research processes?
· Is it possible to ‘un-do gender’ in organization? How? Would that
be a solution?
Abstracts should be one page, single space and of approximately 500 words
(excluding any references) giving title of paper, keywords, contact
details including your name, institutional affiliation, mailing address,
telephone number and e-mail address. Submission date for abstracts is 1st
November 2006. All abstracts will be peer reviewed. Please not that due to
restrictions of space, multiple submissions by the same author will not be
timetabled. New and young scholars with ‘work in progress’ papers are
welcomed. Email your abstract to Julia Nentwich
julia.nentwich@unisg.ch
State the title of the stream to which you are submitting your abstract.
Dr. Julia Nentwich
Lehrstuhl für Organisationspsychologie
Koordination Gender Studies Schweiz
Varnbüelstrasse 19
9000 St. Gallen
Tel.: ++41 (71) 224 2636
www.opsy.unisg.ch
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