The discursive enactment of hegemony: Sexual harassment and academic organizing

Abstract

In this paper, we illustrate the discursive enactment of hegemony through organizational responses to sexual harassment. We draw upon feminist poststructuralist theory to help inform and prohlematize the dialectic of control and resistance evidenced in narratives of sexual harassment. Stories from both victims of sexual harassment and administrators who manage sexual harassment complaints at a major United States university are analyzed and reveal the organizing practices by which the dialectic of resistance and oppression operates. We maintain that the micro‐level practices of this dialectic inform larger macro‐level practices including the gendering of organizations. By and large, we hope to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the intersection of sexual harassment and hegemony, one that accounts for the varied material and social organizing practices, and power relationships that shape women's and men's academic organizational experiences.