The Power of Benevolent Interpretation: An Interpretive Ethnography of an Intentionally Diverse Nonprofit Organization

• In Event: Ethnographic Approaches to Social Psychology

Abstract

How do individuals make sense of ethnic boundaries that emerge in a setting that is defined by interethnic solidarity? This paper takes an interactionist approach to examine how people grapple with ethnic differences and diversity on the ground. Specifically, it addresses the role of interpretations in everyday encounters with ethnic boundaries. Using ethnographic data collected in a multicultural organization in Seoul, South Korea, I show how a particular mode of interpretation, which I term “benevolent interpretation” is used by its participants to understand boundaries of differences that emerge in an organization that prides itself for diversity. The results show three main strategies of benevolent interpretation – alternative attribution, ethnically informed interpretation, and contextualization - while also suggesting that other interpretations may allow individuals to re-evaluate the everyday multiculturalism they face.

Author

• Jiwon Yun, Yale University