Embodied prejudices: a study on diversity and practices

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze organizational diversity with a focus on the concept of socially sustained practices, grounding the analyses in a practice-based approach. Design/methodology/approach – Based on data from ethnographic research, the author seeks to explain how the body and embodied marks that indicate an unequal distribution of power in society interfere with access to knowledge and in the organization of work. Findings – Data analyses suggest that embodied prejudices affect the division of labor and access to knowledge in organizational settings, contributing to perpetuating cultural and historical structures of domination that spark conscious attempts to manage race and gender diversity. Originality/value – Little research has investigated diversity from a practice-based standpoint. The originality of this paper is in its adoption of a phenomenological perspective to explain the experience of diversity as an ongoing bodily and embodied process.