Critical Diversity Studies at a Juncture: Mobilizing Theories of Difference in and beyond Capitalism

Abstract

In this contribution to the roundtable, I reflect on the evolution of critical diversity studies, as part of the broader field of critical management and organization studies, from its origins in the 1990s to date. After reviewing its unique strengths in generating knowledge on the relation between difference and power, I discuss how the economic crisis of 2008 has transformed and radicalized this field of study. I conclude with a plead to engage more with the bourgeoning Marxist scholarship. Such engagement is not only essential to theorize the role of difference in organizing unequally in capitalism, but also to envision anti-capitalist struggles and a post-capitalist, more equal organization of the economy, work and life as a whole.