Rethinking non-traditional resistance at work: the case of the Indian Diaspora in Mauritius

Pratima Sambajee

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Special issue

    1 Citation (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Resistance at work can take many forms and this is reflected in the multiple ways it has been theorised in research. In this paper, I use postcolonial theory to analyse employee resistance in Mauritius. To do this, I deploy Homi Bhabha’s concepts of mimicry, ambivalence and hybridity to explore non-traditional forms of resistance among the Indian Diaspora working in the hotel industry. Using ethnographic research, I firstly look at its ‘home’-making practices as it is within the home that visions of community emerge (Bhabha, 1994) which could later influence behaviours at work. I argue that the Diaspora maintains connections with its ancestral roots via routine religious practices and language use while concomitantly resisting assimilation in the local context. The analysis is then extended to their workplace where further forms of non-traditional resistance are found to be enacted which are strongly influenced by the same values emerging at home.
    LanguageEnglish
    Pages386-408
    Number of pages23
    JournalCulture and Organization
    Volume21
    Issue number5
    Early online date3 Jul 2015
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2015

    Fingerprint

    Mauritius
    diaspora
    ambivalence
    assimilation
    workplace
    employee
    Diaspora
    Nontraditional
    industry
    language
    community
    Values

    Keywords

    • Indian diaspora
    • Mauritius
    • resistance
    • postcolonialism

    Cite this

    Sambajee, Pratima. / Rethinking non-traditional resistance at work : the case of the Indian Diaspora in Mauritius. In: Culture and Organization. 2015 ; Vol. 21, No. 5. pp. 386-408.
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    Sambajee, P 2015, 'Rethinking non-traditional resistance at work: the case of the Indian Diaspora in Mauritius' Culture and Organization, vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 386-408. https://doi.org/10.1080/14759551.2015.1060233

    Rethinking non-traditional resistance at work : the case of the Indian Diaspora in Mauritius. / Sambajee, Pratima.

    In: Culture and Organization, Vol. 21, No. 5, 2015, p. 386-408.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Special issue

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    Sambajee P. Rethinking non-traditional resistance at work: the case of the Indian Diaspora in Mauritius. Culture and Organization. 2015;21(5):386-408. https://doi.org/10.1080/14759551.2015.1060233

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