Communicated Stereotypes at Work

Communicated Stereotypes at Work highlights the pervasiveness and complexity of stereotypes in the workplace by analyzing the role they play in a variety of professional settings. Contributors explain how and why stereotypes are communicated, explore the role each of us plays in perpetuating them, and suggest alternative modes of discourse.

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This edited volume posits that stereotypes communicated in the workplace remain a pervasive issue due to the dichotomy between the discriminatory and functional roles that these stereotypes can play in a range of professional settings. Contributors demonstrate that while the use of stereotypes in the workplace is distasteful and exclusionary, communicating these stereotypes can also appear—on the surface—to provide a pathway toward bonding with others, giving advice, and reducing uncertainty. The result of this dichotomy is that those who communicate stereotypes in the workplace may not view this communication from themselves or others as being problematic. With an emphasis on qualitative methods and analyses, this book deconstructs stereotypes by exploring the theoretical, empirical, and pragmatic roles they play in communication. In doing so, contributors expose the underpinnings of stereotypes and the reason that they are communicated, focus on the role we all play in perpetuating stereotypes, and suggest alternative modes of productive discourse. Scholars of interpersonal and organizational communication, cultural studies, and sociology will find this book particularly useful.