Part of
Identity Struggles: Evidence from workplaces around the worldEdited by Dorien Van De Mieroop and Stephanie Schnurr
[Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture 69] 2017
► pp. 225–240
Edited by Dorien Van De Mieroop and Stephanie Schnurr
[Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture 69] 2017
► pp. 225–240
Chapter 12Identities on a learning curve
Female migrant narratives and the construction of identities of (non)participation in Communities of Practice
Recent large scale immigration to Europe means that it is now faced with questions of identity that present immense challenges and opportunities which carry with them huge social, political and economic stakes. Using narrative analysis as a methodology and Lave and Wenger’s notion of the Community of Practice (CofP), this chapter seeks to shed light on migrant workers’ stories as reifications of their identities-in-transition as they (try to) engage with practice and so struggle to move, or fail to move, from outsider to insider status within their host communities. Findings indicate that for a successful trajectory from the periphery to core membership to take place, it is necessary for the identity ‘newcomer’ to become relevant, rather than gender or nationality related identity categories. We speculate that (non)participation in a CofP may have implications for wider societal concerns of inclusion and exclusion.
Keywords: Community of Practice, migrant, narrative analysis, identity navigation, gender, agency, ingroup/outgroup, exclusion, nationality
Article outline
- Introduction
- Method – narrative analysis
- Data
-
Analysis
- Leila – a narrative of exclusion
- Yulia: a narrative of inclusion
- Discussion and conclusions
-
Notes -
References
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Yang, Yang
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