Racialized Organizations Theory: The Case of Airbnb

• In Event: 3431 - Theorizing Race in Organizations

Abstract

Airbnb, a global house-sharing platform currently valued over $31 billion, and with listings in more than 81,000 cities, has reshaped the market for travel accommodations. Like other companies representing the “sharing economy” Airbnb claims it connects “people to people” directly, attempting to render the company itself invisible. Countering this individual-level framing, we examine Airbnb as a racialized organization (Ray 2019). Using case-study methodology, we focus on two major aspects of Airbnb’s racial impact: on individual-level discrimination and the organizational-level response, and Airbnb’s resistance to complying with regulations and its impact on housing and neighborhoods. We also talk about the organizational aspects of Airbnb that cause these individual- and institutional-level outcomes.

Authors

• Victor E. Ray, University of Tennessee-Knoxville

• Louise Seamster, University of Iowa