The power and burden of representing diversity in a performing arts organization: A recognition-based approach

Abstract

This paper explores tensions related to using representation to signal diversity and inclusion on and behind the stage in a performing arts organization in Sweden. Drawing on a recognition-based approach to inclusion, we analyze how minority and majority organisational members negotiate tensions related to representing, and being made to represent, diversity. Our ethnographic study illustrates how increased representation gives rise to conflicting experiences when collective or individual heterogeneity is negated and directs attention to the interpersonal and organisational relations that condition these experiences. We contribute to the critical literature on diversity and inclusion, and to research on recognition-based inclusion, by elucidating the interplay between recognition and misrecognition that shapes how representation is negotiated. We critically examine the complexities of using representation to promote diversity and inclusion and discuss its implications for creating more equal conditions of participation in culture and arts.