Toward a critical study of boundaries in and around organizations: Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

This introduction to the Special Issue makes the political implications of boundaries in and around organizations the central locus of inquiry. It explores the experiences and interests of those who encounter marginalization and exclusion through processes of boundary drawing. Next to introducing the individual papers of the Special Issue and identifying overlapping themes across them, we highlight opportunities to inspire future research on the ambivalence of the enabling and constraining effects of boundaries, the role of different power positions for negotiating boundaries, how boundaries are brought in and out of consciousness and how boundaries are connected with (inter)national boundary drawing.