In this chapter, I now turn to writing differently in terms of the content of our researching and writing practice. Alison Pullen writes: ‘I write to speak. Writing extends me, it reaches well beyond the confines of myself. At a very basic level, I would like my writing to speak from me, of me, when I am able to’ ( Pullen, 2018 , 123). Indeed, writing extends us and helps us to reach beyond ourselves and the current status quo. This chapter explores key aspects of this by discussing some examples of Writing Differently and writing differently – as a movement
This last chapter will consider a number of practical ways in which scholars who are interested in researching and writing differently can engage with it from the very beginning of their research journey. First, the chapter provides some reflection on the meaning of failure in the context of academia, researching and writing differently. Caring spaces and collective practices around writing differently will be presented as ways to foster growth and community building. I will also outline a number of practical aspects that are especially relevant for doctoral
Time and movement Another aspect of writing differently that can be reflected on before, during and after the creation of an output, rather than in the content of research itself, is the dynamic between time and movement. Inextricably bound with emotions and embodiment, time and movement can be useful to reflect on when writing differently. Time in relation to publication is often thought of in terms of how long it takes to get a paper published from the time of submission, or within each round of reviews. However, we can open up the time considerations to
In a neoliberal academia dominated by masculine ideals of measurement and performance, it is becoming more important than ever to develop alternative ways of researching and writing.
This powerful new book gives voice to non-conforming narratives, suggesting innovative, messy and nuanced ways of organizing the reading and writing of scholarship in management and organization studies. In doing so it spotlights how different methods and approaches can represent voices of inequality and reveal previously silenced topics.
Informed by feminist and critical perspectives, this will be an invaluable resource for current and future scholars in management and organization studies and other social sciences.
The first chapter provided an overview of the neoliberal academy as a framing context for our argument highlighting the need to engage in researching and writing differently. I explored contemporary academic discourse, which is deeply rooted in neoliberal approaches and masculine ways of approaching academic work as a locus of inequality. This second chapter focuses on researching and writing differently as a political and feminist project and as a key to unlock positive change. In order to do so, I provide a brief overview of Feminism, which will be then
PART I Researching and writing differently today
Following from a discussion on the contemporary neoliberal academic context and the framing of writing differently as a feminist political project in Part I , Part II provided an overview of some key aspects and themes in writing differently. The previous section also offered a selection of exemplars of researching and writing differently. Part III will now consider epistemological approaches that can inform researching and writing differently, and outline some of the methods which lend themselves to the pursuit of a Writing Differently agenda. Reflections
Within the global context of the stark contrast between food poverty and food waste, and the growing momentum in food rescue and redistribution initiatives, this chapter delves into the intricate interplay between academic and activist roles. Drawing on the author’s first-hand experiences at the Free Food Store, and through ‘writing differently’, the chapter explores pivotal moments where these multiple roles and identities intersect and sometimes clash. Additionally, it extends an invitation to envision and cultivate an activist academia that collaborates with communities to ‘change the world’. This text serves as an ongoing, intense dialogue between the author’s activist and academic selves, addressing the critical question of what needs to be done in response to urgent societal challenges. It also represents an earnest endeavour to think, write and, most significantly, take action in a distinctive manner, rooted in embodied experiences, aspirations and imaginations.
‘writing differently’ ( Gilmore et al, 2019 ; Boncori, 2022 ). The theory, in an accessible ‘reading’, will be with us throughout the journey. The overall argument of this book is based on demonstrating the complex layers of organizing at the margins and thinking about and imagining emancipatory alternative organizing forms in a world which is becoming increasingly grim given the impact of climate catastrophe, (post‑)pandemic conditions and rising socioeconomic inequality. Nevertheless, by focusing on my choices and providing retrospective reflection, this book tells
Consumerism, unsustainable growth, waste and inequalities continue to ail societies across the globe, but creative collectives have been tackling these issues at a grassroots level.
Based on an autoethnographic study about a free food store in Aotearoa New Zealand, this book presents a first-hand account of how a community is organized around surplus food to deal with food poverty, while also helping the reader to see through the complexity that brings the free food store to life.
Examining how alternative economies and relations emerge from these community solutions, the author shows it is possible to think, act and organize differently within and beyond capitalist dynamics.
