Cai, Minjie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1739-0474 (2017) Bourdieusian symbolic violence and Confucian harmony: the generality and particularity of domination and struggles in organisational Life. In: British Academy of Management Annual Conference 2017, 5th-7th September 2017, Conventry.

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Abstract

Recent political debates surrounding the EU referendum in the UK and the US presidential election have raised the questions about the role of academic intellects in public engagement and the challenges of bridging the divides in societies. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s conceptualisation of symbolic violence and the Confucian notion of harmony, this conceptual paper argues that future research agendas of organisation studies should recognise and address domination and struggles in organisational life. The theoretical analysis unveils that the pervasiveness and persistence of domination can be found in the formation of all social hierarchies. It also points out that the struggles against symbolic domination are yet to be examined in order to obtain a satisfactory understanding of the subordinates and to, hopefully, offer an effective approach to facilitating resistance and reducing sufferings. The thoughts of neither Bourdieu nor Confucius provide an adequate answer to how the invisibility of symbolic violence could be exposed in non-violent manner. The paper concludes with a call for scholars to take up their moral responsibilities of acting as the voices for those who are unheard, neglected, and silenced, and to return to seeking a sufficient way of communicating empirical evidence with the public.

Item Type:	Conference or Conference Paper (Paper)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	symbolic violence, management practices
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Business Faculty of Business > Centre for Work and Employment Research (CREW) Faculty of Business > Department of Human Resources & Organisational Behaviour
Related URLs:	Organisation Organisation
Last Modified:	27 May 2022 16:25
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/24442

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